Playing With Fire
by xXMXx
Summary: One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that they could not imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk. See Trailer.
1. Trailer

**Playing With Fire

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**Summary: **One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that none of them could imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk.

**Pairings: **Chaylor, Troyella.

**Warnings: **Possible mild language, violence, mentions of adult themes.

**A/N: **Been working on this one for a while and I though it was about time I submitted the trailer to see if anyone's interested. It's sort of different to the other multi-chap fictions I've done in that it isn't so much action, action, action but a little more focus on the characters and how they feel dealing with some challenging situations.

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TRAILER

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**Troy [Voice-over]: …We thought we were ready for **_**everything**_**…**

Training in the gym, Chad and Troy take turns to shoot baskets. They score each time.

Chad: [Excitedly] U of A, here we come.

Troy mirrors Chad's grin and throws the ball again. His smile drops as he misses the hoop completely.

**Troy [Voice-over]: …We were wrong.**

Taylor stands on her front porch at night, crying as she watches Chad walk away.

Gabriella's cell-phone vibrates on the desk in front of her. She snatches it up and throws it violently at the wall.

Exhausted, Troy stops jogging laps around the gym. He tries to catch his breath but can't. His legs buckle beneath him.

_**-Fade to black-**_

**Life for the Wildcats is about to change.**

A furious Chad gets up from his desk in the middle of class and storms out.

Taylor bows her head with dismay as she awaits the result of the pregnancy test in her hands.

A tall, black-haired boy hugs Gabriella. Their eyes meet for a second before they kiss.

**And it won't be pretty.**

Sharpay tosses her head back, gulping down a shot of alcohol.

Livid, Troy shoves his father.

Troy: Just stay away from me!

**Regrets.**

Looking suspiciously around him, Chad pulls up the hood of his jumper and begins to run. Police sirens sound in the distance.

**Mistakes.**

Gabriella is pinned to the floor as a boy kisses her neck. She tries to turn away from him.

Gabriella: Stop! Please!

**Secrets.**

At school, Taylor clutches her stomach in pain. She leans against the lockers to stop herself from collapsing.

**Death.**

Troy tries to rush through a crowded party. His eyes widen and he freezes as he hears gunshots.

_**-Fade to black-**_

**It's Senior Year**

Troy, Taylor, Chad and Gabriella sit at a table in a busy diner, clinking their cups in a toast.

…**But not as you know it.**

The camera pans across the audience of graduating students. Four seats are empty.

'**Playing With Fire'**_** - Coming Soon.

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**A/N: **So, if you're at all interested, please review so I know whether or not to continue with the story. Thanks.

_**PS- I know it's late but Happy New Year!**_

_**xX M Xx**_


	2. The Day That Changed Everything

**Playing With Fire

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**Summary: **One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that none of them could imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk.

**Pairings: **Chaylor, Troyella.

**Warnings: **Possible mild language, violence, mentions of adult themes.

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1. The Day That Changed Everything

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_We thought we were ready for everything. A few months into senior year, life was normal. We were happy. We had no idea how things would change. _

_One night. That's all it took. After that, things would never be the same. _

Trudy's Diner was buzzing with vibrancy. The dim lights cast an orange hue that seemed to envelope the large, classic room with warmth, and the air was thick with laughter and the sound of clinking glasses. Outside, the January evening sky was slowly darkening to a cold but welcoming sapphire colour, closing the curtain on what had been a delightful day.

A day that would change everything….

"… and she was like; 'I don't know, but it's on your shoulder'!" Troy delivered the punch-line of his joke with a wide and triumphant grin, revelling in the sound of his friends' raucous laughter in response.

By now, their cheeks were sore from an entire day of smiling. Perhaps it was the nostalgic, old records that crackled through the stereo or the warm, homely feel, but something about this place- this diner which they had only discovered today by chance- seemed to have a calming effect that left them completely contented. They'd been here for little over an hour, but had already transformed their evening into one to remember.

Grinning, Gabriella gave Troy a light punch on the shoulder. "Have I ever told you how crazy you are, Wildcat?" She teased.

He returned the smile and captured her small fist in his hand, raising it to his mouth and gently kissing her knuckles. His lips brushed her skin so softly that the tickling sensation caused her to giggle; a unique and melodious sound that Troy found quite irresistible. Intent on quenching his sudden thirst for her, he scooted over on their shared, leather bench-seat and put his arm around her shoulder. Gabriella followed his lead. She turned to face him and tilted her head upwards until their noses almost touched. Then, not a moment later, their lips had connected.

Sitting opposite the couple with only a slightly sticky table separating them, Chad and Taylor suddenly felt very awkward. As if instinctively, they both averted their gazes, instead choosing to turn and face each other.

Chad was first to speak. "See, _this _is why I never wanna go on double-dates." He joked, his voice loud enough for only Taylor to hear.

Taylor pursed her lips to hold back a smile. "Yeah," She glanced over at her best-friend, looking away again upon finding that the kiss between Gabriella and Troy was quickly intensifying. "Remind me to listen to you next time."

And, at these words, something like dread flickered through her eyes and her smile sank.

"You know, this'll probably be our last double-date together." She told him quietly and let out a short sigh. Her head bowed with remorse as she found herself no longer able to hold his gaze for the stirring emotions inside of her. "When we're off at college-…"

It was such a daunting thought. One that bothered all of them every day. They'd be moving out. Away from everything and everyone they knew. Starting a life of independence and freedom. Taylor had looked forward to Yale her entire life but now that it was finally happening, she just wanted it all to disappear.

"Hey," Chad cut her off softly. He brought his hand up to her face to cup her cheek in his palm, forcing her to look at him again. "That's months away." He said dismissively. "Let's just make the most of what we've got now."

_If only it were that simple, _she thought, but nodded nonetheless.

Chad opened his mouth to continue in his attempts at restoring Taylor's confidence, but before he could speak a distinct voice cut through the mellow hum of conversation that surrounded them.

"Chad?"

It came from somewhere behind them; a deep voice but somewhat juvenile.

"Chad!"

Clearer now, but even when he craned his neck to peer through the crowded diner, Chad could not see anyone he recognised. Even Troy and Gabriella had stopped their _activities_ to curiously scan the room for a familiar face, but to no avail.

"Chad," This time the voice was lined with a pleased chuckle as a skinny young man- no older than twenty- weaved his way through the last row of tables that separated him from the four dining teenagers. With a wonky, awkward grin he came to a halt beside a seated Chad and gave him a loaded pat on the back. "Man, I knew it was you."

Taylor, Troy and Gabriella watched with growing curiosity as Chad stood to greet the stranger. He was tall and lanky, wearing loose, baggy jeans and a white wife beater which showed off the sleeves of menacing tattoos he had down each arm. Although he towered above Chad at about 6 ft 5, his face had a somewhat clumsy and childish air that made him seem less threatening than he initially appeared to be.

Chad smiled and took the guy's outstretched hand, pulling him into a relaxed, one-armed hug. "Damon," he greeted. "How've you been?"

The question was apparently unimportant to Damon as he simply shrugged and shook his head stoically. "You know…" Was all he offered as an answer. Pulling out of the semi-embrace, he couldn't help but notice the three pairs of eyes that cautiously and suspiciously monitored his every movement. "These your friends?" He asked.

Chad cleared his throat, only just remembering the presence of his company. He turned to them partially and introduced them.

They greeted him kindly but continued to visually assess him and, feeling under increasing amounts of scrutiny, Damon quickly averted the subject. "So, listen." He said pointedly, turning back to Chad. "I'm glad I caught you actually 'cos I been lookin' for a favour." He scratched the stubble that covered his chin. "Me and the boys need a driver for a job next Monday."

"What kind of job?" Chad asked, a little too eagerly. He knew that Damon lived a questionable lifestyle, though what it entailed exactly he wasn't sure. All he was certain of was that it brought in a lot of money. And money was something that Chad needed. Badly.

Damon smiled knowingly and as if sensing what Chad was thinking, answered; "Well-paid, my friend." He assured, rubbing his fingers together to signify cash. "I'm talkin' eighty dollars plus for each of us."

"I-…" Chad hesitated. It seemed too good to be true. It probably was. Damon was well-known in his neighbourhood for the illegal activities he got up to. Never anything too extreme, but unlawful nonetheless. Chad knew that this 'job' would surely be related to all this. And he wasn't stupid. He knew that was a life that he didn't want to get into.

As further encouragement against the offer, Taylor discretely gave Chad a poke on the back of his thigh.

Chad sighed regretfully. "Yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck, turning away from Damon. "I'm gonna have to take a rain check." He shrugged stiffly. "Sorry, D."

Unable to mask the disappointment on his face, Damon turned his attention to the ground. "Hey, no problem." He said unconvincingly. He looked up to find that Troy and Gabriella were staring at him. The friendliness on their faces was not reflected in their eyes. Their eyes told the penetrating truth; they were analysing him, they didn't trust him. He got the hint. He got that hint a lot. "I guess I'll see you around then."

Chad just nodded, returning to his seat. He felt terrible for having debunked someone he'd known for so long but he knew he'd made the right decision. Damon stuck around for a couple more seconds, almost as if hoping Chad would change his mind. Then, he drifted silently back into the crowds of people.

Gabriella waited until he was out of sight before leaning across the table to ask Chad; "Who was that?" Maybe she'd been naïve but she'd never thought that Chad had friends outside of school. Especially not the type that looked so… intimidating.

"Just an old friend." Chad dismissed, staring into his empty mug of what was once hot-chocolate.

Upon hearing his response, Taylor made a scoffing and disdainful sound. "A friend?" She asked. "Since when did you associate with people like that?" And although she seemed to be joking, there was still a tone of seriousness in her voice to let him know that she expected an answer.

"People like what?" Chad swivelled in his chair to look at her. He seemed angry. Hurt, almost. "He lives on my street," He told her. "We grew up together." He must not have noticed that his voice was getting louder.

Taylor shrank a little into herself. "He looks dangerous." She remarked quietly, feeling slightly defeated.

"You don't know him." Chad retorted. His voice was now as quiet as hers but the traces of defensive bitterness remained.

There was a definite tension forming. Gabriella took it upon herself to stop it before it went any further. Or, at least, to escape from it momentarily. "I'm gonna…" She began, slowly getting to her feet. Chad and Taylor turned away from each other to look at Gabriella expectantly. "I'm gonna go and get some more drinks." She announced.

She didn't leave them time to respond, instead crossing the room so briskly that she was at the bar in seconds. She ordered another round of coffees and hot-chocolates and waited patiently. It only took a couple of minutes for the steaming drinks to be presented to her on a tray and, after thanking the barista, she lifted the heavy load and turned to make her way back to the table.

Before she could take her first step, her arm was jolted with a colossal knock at the elbow causing the tray to slip from her hands. The four mugs went spiralling to the floor, sending a cascade of warm, sweet-smelling liquid in their wake. Gabriella's horrified gasp was drowned out by the mortifying noise of the china cups shattering. Feeling clumsy and embarrassed, she put both hands over her mouth and glanced around the room apologetically.

"Oh!"

She turned to her left, where the blow to her arm had come from, to find a boy beside her. He was staring at her with eyes full of guilt and plea, momentarily letting his gaze flicker to the mess on the floor.

"God, I am so sorry." He said genuinely. "Here, let me-…" He crouched to try and collect the shards of china but apparently thought better of it and straightened up.

Realising that he must have been the one that nudged her, causing the spillage, Gabriella offered him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry." She told him. "It's okay."

The remorse on his chiselled face did not fade. "No it's not." He shook his head ruefully and met her eyes once again.

Only now did Gabriella notice how handsome he was. She wasn't interested, of course- she had Troy and wanted no-one else- but she wasn't blind either and this guy was verging on perfection. He had flawless, glowing skin and deep eyes, so dark that they seemed to open out into the very depths of his mind. His black hair was slightly spiky but tame enough to retain the simple but striking look of his face. He looked like a male model straight out of Vogue magazine, only a little more rugged and real.

"I should have been looking where I was going." He continued, and Gabriella realised she'd been staring.

Blinking to clear her head, Gabriella simply shrugged until she found her voice. "It's fine," she insisted. "Really." Her cheeks reddened as he smiled at her with gratitude.

"Well, at least let me buy you some more drinks." He offered, seemingly not totally convinced of her forgiveness.

Gabriella tried to reiterate that she was fine and he need not replace the drinks but he told her it was the least he could do and paid for the fresh beverages before she could protest any further.

As they waited for the drinks to be prepared, an awkward silence crept over them. Gabriella tried to keep her eyes occupied by following the movements of the barista, but she could feel the boy's eyes on her and eventually relented and turned back to him. This seemed to please him as, the second their eyes met, a wide smile broke out on his face.

He stretched out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Asher, by the way." He said.

"Nice to meet you, Asher." She took his hand and shook it briefly and, when she realised he was expecting hers in response, added; "I'm Gabriella."

"Gabriella." He stretched her name out, mulling over it in his mouth. "What a pretty name."

Gabriella said nothing. She knew when she was being flirted with. And she knew when to put a stop to it. She had never been a tease, was too smart for that and didn't quite like the idea of leading someone on just to drop them. Plus, Troy was the only boy worth her attention and her thoughts about him were enough to quash any attraction she may have had for Asher.

Asher inhaled deeply. "Ah," he sighed. "Your drinks are ready." Gabriella looked at the bar to find the four mugs neatly lined up. "Do you want any help carrying them all to your table?"

"No thanks." She replied a tad too quickly. Now was a good time to cut their conversation short, before it went any further. But lifting the four mugs without the aid of a tray was impossible and within a couple of seconds Gabriella realised that she was at risk of another accident. "Actually…" She reconsidered.

Chuckling, Asher took a drink in each hand, leaving Gabriella to lift the two others. She gave him a smile of gratitude before leading him back to where her friends were seated. Troy, Taylor and Chad were in light-hearted conversation wearing the grins that they had displayed all day and- to Gabriella's relief- Chad and Taylor had seemingly gotten over their earlier tiff as Chad now had his arm around her shoulders.

"There you go." Gabriella made her presence known to them by setting the drinks down on the table a little louder than was necessary.

Troy looked up at her and smiled, almost as pleased to see her as he was to see his cocoa. He didn't even notice the boy who lingered rather nervously behind her until Gabriella introduced him.

"This is Asher." She said, catching both Taylor and Chad's attention.

The three at the table regarded him warily. They'd all seen him around before and had cause to be a little distrustful of him. After all, he was the enemy. He went to West High; their rival school.

Troy was first to break the uncomfortable silence among them. "Hi." He said with no effort whatsoever put into making the greeting sound friendly.

"Hey." Taylor followed Troy's lead but offered an unconvincing smile with her monotonous welcome.

Chad just nodded in Asher's direction, if only to acknowledge that the boy was there.

Asher's upset at the blatant dismissal and the arising awkwardness became apparent to Gabriella and she inhaled loudly. "So, um, Asher…" She attempted to sound as welcoming as possible, feeling increasingly sorry for this friendly stranger. "D'you wanna join us? For a drink?" She suggested. Troy tried to subtly shake his head while Chad and Taylor tried to hide their disapproval; all of which went ignored by Gabriella who found their behaviour pretentious and immature. "You can call your friends over too."

"I'm not with any friends." Asher replied bluntly and Chad failed to stifle his laughter.

"You're here on your own?" He asked mockingly, ignoring the jab he received in his ribs from Taylor's elbow.

Forlorn and silent, Asher's despairingly embarrassed nod was enough to send shivers of guilt through Chad. Even Troy and Taylor felt a tinge of remorse at the boy's expense. He suddenly seemed so vulnerable and alone.

Troy bit on his bottom lip pensively before saying; "Well, it's settled then." Like the cool kids in preschool allowing the others to join them for lunch. "You can sit with us."

Asher needed no further encouragement. He let Gabriella reclaim her seat beside Troy before squeezing onto the bench next to her. He had a smile glued to his face that seemed to never falter not even as his eyes met Chad's. Then, with a glazed look of recognition in his eyes, he looked from Chad to Troy then back again.

"Hey!" He said excitedly as realisation set in. "You're those basketball guys from East High, right?" Now he had their attention. "I hear our coach is _freaking out _about having to get past you two in the championships." He beamed like a star-struck child.

Ego's fed, both Chad and Troy were suddenly a lot more welcoming. They offered up identical, enticed smirks and waited in eager anticipation for Asher to continue. Taylor and Gabriella witnessed the instant change in their boyfriends' attitudes and could only exchange an unimpressed glance at each other. _Boys, _they thought.

From then on, the ice had been broken. Asher integrated comfortably into the group, divulging insignificant but interesting information about West High and just being an overall friendly guy. The conversation flowed easily and laughter often followed and, before they knew it, they'd all been chatting for over an hour.

It almost seemed as if nothing could stop the night that none of them wanted to end. But eventually, their enjoyment was interrupted. Troy's cell phone was just audible over the sound of them talking. He pulled out of his pocket and, to his dismay, saw that the caller ID read 'Mom'- calling to tell him to come home no doubt.

"Hi." He said as the others continued to chat.

He was met with silence and pulled the phone away from his ear to check that the call had been connected. The screen confirmed that it had. However, upon returning the phone to his ear, he could still perceive no sound.

"Hello…?" And he was certain he could hear her breathing. "Mom?"

At first he thought it was a bad reception, but it didn't take Troy long to realise that the noise on the other end of the phone line was his mother sobbing.

His heart dropped into his stomach with dread. "Mom, what's wrong?" He asked seriously, barely noticing as his friends quietened down with concern.

When she finally spoke, her voice was shrill with emotion. "I'm sorry." She cried through worryingly ragged breaths.

"Sorry for what, mom?" Troy tried to stay calm but his mind was on overdrive. "What's going on? What's happened?"

She sniffed. "I love you." She whispered. "But I just can't do this anymore."

Troy didn't get the chance to ask her what she meant. His mother let out a gasping whimper. Then, the line went dead.

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**A/N: **Well that, my friends, was a nightmare and a half to write! I hope it wasn't too long and boring (the amount of times I went back and changed it- you would not believe. It's actually half the length it was before). Please continue to read my story. Any kind of feedback is welcome so do review!

_**xX M Xx**_


	3. Discovery, Disaster, Decision

**Playing With Fire

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**Summary: **One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that none of them could imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk.

**Pairings: **Chaylor, Troyella.

**Warnings: **Possible mild language, violence, mentions of adult themes.

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2. Discovery, Disaster, Decision

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The lights were off when Troy arrived home. After several failed attempts to call his mother back, he'd made a swift and panicked exit, avoiding the effort of answering the worried questions he received from his friends. He may have violated a few speeding laws and his battered truck almost died on him during his frantic drive but such matters were the last thing on his mind as his mother's final words echoed in his head.

'_I just can't do this anymore.'_

The dismay in her voice had been obvious. The anguish. She sounded so desperate. Almost- and it pained Troy to think it- but, almost suicidal. And he blamed himself. Because he'd known. He'd known that she wasn't happy. In the last few months, he'd sat by and watched as her bubbly personality was replaced with miserable and often reclusive tendencies. But he was her son, not her therapist. He wasn't sure how to console a forty-year-old woman.

But he'd known. And he'd done nothing. And now-… the thought made his stomach turn.

He opened the front door with such urgency that he almost forced it clean off its hinges and burst into the house. "Mom?!" He called out from the corridor, peering into the darkness of his surroundings.

There was no answer and Troy suddenly felt as though a chilling breeze had passed over him. Every hair on his body stood upright and his heart fluttered in his chest. He called her name again with the same result. And now he could barely breathe for the fear swelling inside of him. It was as he reached for the light switch that Troy caught a glimpse of movement in the shadows. Through the arched door that led to the living room, something glinted in the moonlight that poured through the open curtains.

Without a moment's hesitation, he rushed forward, flicking the light switch as he went. The room was flooded with yellow light and Troy had to squint at it's harshness in contrast to the black that he had become accustomed to. But even through blurred vision, she was the first thing he saw.

She was lying on the sofa, face-down, sprawled out with such little care that her limbs draped painfully over the edges of the seat. Her dark hair covered her face completely and, most frightening of all, she was absolutely still. Wary now, as if stepping any closer would make the scene in front of him real, Troy tentatively approached his mother. His breathing was so rapid that he could hear nothing else and, when he raised his hand to reach out and touch her, he noticed how terribly he was shaking.

"M-mom?" He whispered, lightly touching her shoulder with his fingertips.

There was a loud clunking sound as a wine bottle slipped from her grip and dropped to the wooden floor. The sparse remaining contents of the bottle spilled out to create a crimson puddle around Troy's feet. As the puzzle pieces fell together in his mind, Troy felt more disappointed than relieved. This situation was becoming all too familiar. In fact, it was almost a daily occurrence. Lucille Bolton, overcome with depression would turn to alcohol to numb the pain. She'd drink enough to temporarily free herself of her sorrows. Then she'd pass out, her face stained with tears.

With a despairing sigh, Troy sat down on the sofa beside her. She stirred as if sensing his presence and, groaning, pulled herself upright. Shielding her eyes against the light, she peered through squeezed eyelids at her young, disenchanted son whose gaze was currently preoccupied by the collection of prescription pill bottles that littered the table. The wide array of medications gave the impression that she had raided, not just the medicine cabinet, but perhaps an entire pharmacy- she'd certainly wanted to get the job done.

When he was unable to bear the sight in front of him any longer, Troy bowed his head to instead decipher his reflection in the puddle of red wine at his feet. "Why are you doing this to yourself, mom?" He asked quietly. This wasn't how his family was supposed to be. This was the type of thing that only happened in those gritty, primetime dramas, not in his own home. Why, all of a sudden when life for him was hard enough, did cracks have to form in the façade that his parents had kept up for so long? The perfect family. A perfect mess.

Lucy could see the mixture of pain and confusion and anger on her son's face and it filled her with guilt. "I-I…" She stammered, finding her voice so small and weak. "I didn't take the pills." She offered feebly.

It was almost as if Troy was the parent here, berating his teenage child for experimenting with drugs and alcohol. But Troy wasn't an adult. And his mother wasn't a kid. And neither of them was capable of dealing with this.

Troy could feel his eyes brimming with tears and shut them to stop any liquid from escaping. "But you wanted to." He finally admitted to himself, and his voice cracked from the lump in his throat.

He felt his mother's cold hands on either side of his face, pulling him to look at her, but although he allowed his head to be turned to face her, he refrained from opening his eyes. He didn't want to see her. Not like this. She was his superhero, always there for him, always knowing not to wash his lucky socks, always offering advice if things with Gabriella were a bit rocky. But not now. Not this dishevelled wreck with trails of mascara down her cheeks and knotted hair. No, this was not the mum he wanted to see.

"Sometimes I jus' wonder," Lucy said sadly, her words still slurred by the effects of the alcohol. "Why'm I here anymore? I think it would be better off if I just-…" She paused to sniff and gulp, then threw her hands up with despair. "'Cos, god knows, your father doesn't want me." Her volume raised and she let out a mirthless laugh. Troy looked at her in time to see her bitter smile sink. "And you'll be gone soon too. Then what've I got?" She added pensively. "I'll have nothing left."

That thought struck Troy like a blade to the heart. When he moved away for college, no-one would be around to stop her from harming herself. If something happened to her, the blame would be on Troy. Or, at least, he'd blame himself. For being so selfish. For leaving her.

"Nothing left." She echoed and began to sob.

Troy put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, allowing her to cry into his chest. He too shed a few tears as he rubbed her back supportively. "I'll never leave you, mom." He promised. "Never."

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"Thanks for the ride." Gabriella smiled appreciatively as she stepped out of the glossy car. "You really didn't have to."

Having shut the door behind her, Asher simply shrugged and offered a clumsy grin. He'd driven Gabriella home after Troy's unexpected exit left her without any way of getting back to her neighbourhood. As Chad lived in the opposite direction to her, his offer to escort her was deemed impractical and, although Gabriella had initially declined Asher's offer out of politeness, she was eventually assured by both Chad and Taylor that their new friend's solution was perfect.

"It was no trouble at all, honestly." He stood opposite her with both hands in his pockets, shuffling his feet nervously.

They shared a silent and somewhat forced smile, both of them trying to ignore the awkward atmosphere that was creeping over them. The car journey had been surprisingly comfortable as they'd talked and listened to music, but now it was as though all of that ease with which they'd been able to bond had melted away. As if neither of them quite knew what to do now.

"Well I guess I should go." Gabriella said finally, pointing over her shoulder at her awaiting house.

Asher nodded but seemed surprised. "Oh, yeah. Sure." He agreed in a flustered manner. His face showed a moment of indecision as he considered his next move, then he opened his arms for a hug.

Perhaps, if Gabriella hadn't been so naïve, she would have read the signs in front of her and realised Asher's growing infatuation. Maybe then, things would have turned out very differently. But she didn't tend to see the worst in people- ulterior motives seldom occurred to her- and the way she saw it, a hug was just a hug; a friendly way to say goodbye. Without thinking twice, she accepted Asher's embrace.

She was instantly enveloped within his warm arms and the musky, spicy scent of his aftershave washed over her. The comforting blend of his gentle breathing against her ear and his firm, protective hold suddenly made Gabriella feel totally at ease and she shut her eyes to absorb the blissful moment. It was always nice to make a new friend.

"So, I guess I'll see you later." Gabriella said finally, feeling that the hug had lasted long enough.

Asher got the hint, loosening his embrace enough for Gabriella to separate her body from his- but not enough for her to be completely free of him. Before any move could be made to further part their intimate moment, Asher took a deep breath and leaned his face to Gabriella's.

She had no idea how it happened. One moment she'd been considering how mad her mum would be at how late she was returning home, the next thing she knew-… well, Asher's tongue was in her mouth. There had been no build-up; no meaningful glances or gingerly slow approach. Just this sudden shock.

So taken aback, Gabriella was frozen for a few seconds. Her mind raced as she tried to register what was happening. He was kissing her. Asher- this boy who she'd only met that night; so charming and friendly- was kissing her. And, all at once, she felt as though someone had dunked a freezing cold bucket of water over her head. Her heart jumped up into her throat. She planted both palms firmly onto Asher's chest and shoved him backwards.

He stumbled a little away from her, looking stunned and hurt. His plump lips were still in a semi-pout but his brow was twisted in an expression of confusion.

Gabriella returned his bewilderment with a frown of her own. "Wh-…? I-…" She stammered breathlessly, wiping her mouth with her hand. "I have a boyfriend." She told him. His devastation at these words was obvious and Gabriella felt an instant tinge of remorse. "I'm sorry if I-… if I gave you the wrong idea."

Devastation melted away into embarrassment as Asher's face flushed red. He was mortified. He never took risks like that, never followed that primal instinct- but there was something so irresistible about Gabriella that made his shyness dissipate completely. He just had to go for it. And look where it had gotten him.

"Oh…" He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Something else occurred to him. "You mean… Troy?"

Gabriella nodded. She was speechless. She couldn't hear herself think over the whirlwind of thoughts in her head. And she certainly couldn't bring herself to structure a coherent sentence. Asher continued to talk but she barely noticed. All she could think was that that shouldn't have happened. That shouldn't have happened.

"I didn't realise." Asher's voice persisted. "He, um, he seems like a nice-…" He trailed off, seemingly as disquieted as a distantly nodding Gabriella. "I-I'm sorry."

Gabriella opened her mouth to say something but couldn't find the words. Instead, she shot Asher one final unreadable look and walked away. She didn't look back when she reached her front door. She didn't have to. She knew he was still there. She could feel his gaze burning holes in her back.

* * *

They were at Taylor's doorstep; standing face-to-face, with not a foot of distance between them. And there was something of a strange and troublesome silence in the air. An uncomfortable feeling that could not be placed. Almost like an impending storm.

Chad was unsettled by this unnatural quiet and decided to promptly put an end to it. Bizarrely though- as it was quite a rare occurrence for him- he hadn't much to say. Certainly nothing of importance. So he settled for the first thing that came to mind. "Tonight was fun." He said genuinely but when his eyes met Taylor's, she looked away at once.

"Yeah." Taylor nodded and cleared her throat, glancing towards her front door as if hinting that she wanted to go inside. "It was nice." She gave him a tight smile before looking around suspiciously.

Her street was dark and desolately still. Their only company was in the form of lampposts, large old-fashioned houses and an occasional breeze. And there wasn't a sound at all. Just this empty, empty silence.

"And you," he continued, placing one of his hands behind her head to gently stroke the nape of her neck. Her shoulder muscles tensed at his touch. "You look beautiful." With this, he leaned in to kiss her.

Her reaction was instant. And heartbreaking. She pulled away, twisting her face out of reach of his lips, and kept her gaze fixated on the ground.

Chad could think of nothing to say but a feeble; "What?"

Casting him a look of innocent nonchalance, Taylor acted confused by the question. "Hmm?" She asked, still managing to avoid his penetratingly hurt eyes.

"What's wrong?" Chad asked. With each passing moment he was filled with a hopelessness that made his heart thump loudly in his ears. It was as though the spark between him and Taylor had suddenly fizzled out, and he had no idea why.

Taylor shrugged. "Nothing." She answered.

"Then why did you just-?" He let out a defeated sigh, wishing that she'd just _look _at him. "Why do you always-…?" And he sighed again, knowing that this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened between them. "Have I done something?" He asked finally.

Taylor tried to ignore the guilt that was creeping up on her conscience as Chad made no attempt to mask the pain in his voice. She didn't want to upset him, yet she knew she was. It was just the current circumstances they were under. Something she couldn't explain to him. Something she could only pretend to be ignorant to. "What do you mean?"

An increasingly disconcerted Chad exhaled with anguish. "It's like whenever I'm anywhere near your house, you won't let me kiss you," he told her and Taylor finally looked up to meet his wounded gaze. "You won't let me hold you, you barely even wanted me to walk you to your door." He added with an almost disbelieving shake of the head.

So he'd noticed. Well, Taylor supposed it was only a matter of time before Chad managed to detect a pattern. And perhaps it was about time for her to explain. "My parents don't like me being with boys." She admitted finally.

Her eyes were so full of sincerity and honesty that all of Chad's woes instantly dissolved. His fear that she simply didn't like him anymore was ousted and he couldn't help but grin with joy at his own needless paranoia.

"Well they haven't met Chad Danforth yet." He declared proudly, certain that he could change Taylor's parents' preconceived opinion of him. "Trust me, you introduce me to them and they'll-"

"No." Taylor said bluntly.

And that short-lived joy was replaced with disappointment. Chad was losing his patience. "Is it boys your parents don't like or is it just me?" He wasn't sure if he wanted the answer. He already knew what it would be.

"It's-…" Taylor didn't know what to say. Because he was right. It wasn't Chad in particular, but boys from his type of background. Boys who weren't especially bright and whose parents didn't earn much. She didn't want to lie to him. She hated it as much as he did. But they were still her parents which made them the biggest influence in her life. In a way, she felt she had to defend them. "You don't understand the way they think." She said. "They only want the best for me and-"

"You're ashamed of me." Chad realised. He took a step back, feeling betrayed by the girl he thought he loved.

Taylor was scared. She could feel herself losing him and she didn't know how to stop it. "Not me, no." She said quickly. "But my parents-"

"Well, maybe they're right." He shrugged, now so detached and solemnly unconcerned. He was beginning to wonder what he was fighting for. This was clearly a one-sided relationship.

"What?"

"I've seen the way you look at me." Chad said miserably. "It's the same way you looked at Damon earlier. You think that 'cos my parents don't have money-"

"No, Chad." Taylor interrupted. She was becoming desperate. Her arms were held out in front of her in pleading surrender as she tried so frantically to explain. "It's not like that, I-"

But Chad had had enough. He held up a hand to stop her and she silenced at once. "Don't bother." He said. "I'm sick of being your dirty little secret."

Taylor let her hands drop to her sides but continued to look at him apologetically. "What are you saying?" She whimpered. There were tears welling up in her eyes and she could barely breathe. His next words stopped her heart altogether.

"It's over, Taylor." Chad said with an incomprehensible mixture of regret and pain in his eyes. "Your parents are right, you're better off without me."

He turned away and started on the path back to his car. Taylor reached out to him blunderingly but her hands wavered before returning to their original position. She couldn't stop him. Even if she tried.

* * *

**A/N: **What have I done?! Jeopardised Troyella, destroyed Chaylor!! And we're only on our second chapter!

Just wanna say how grateful I am to the following people;

**Xxluvstrukxx, LadiiBabiiCottonCandii990, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, pamylz, mzwendy85, chaylorXtraylorlover101, kaligator, 2pinkstar and 7blackberry, itscomplicatedluv333, XxMusicalFreakxX, corbinsbabygrl1, SimpleThings, Vfanforlife, xGabriellaxBoltonx, zanessalover1237** and **MermaidRam85**

I found all your reviews for the first chapter and trailer- whether simple or detailed- really encouraging and I appreciate them all. You're fab people and I hope you continue to read and enjoy my story and keep the reviews coming. I'd love to know your verdict on Troy's mum, Asher (omg!) and the Chaylor break-up :'(

_**xX M Xx**_


	4. Secrets Revealed, Secrets Kept

**Playing With Fire

* * *

**

**Summary: **One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that none of them could imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk.

**Pairings: **Chaylor, Troyella.

**Warnings: **Possible mild language, violence, mentions of adult themes.

**

* * *

3. Secrets Revealed, Secrets Kept

* * *

**

Monday morning. Often so dull, so monotonous. So agonisingly slow. But not today. No, today homeroom was about to see more drama than it had all year. And it was all thanks to the big mouth of Miss Sharpay Evans.

She'd been on her best behaviour; keeping to herself as she usually did in her elite spot at the front of the class. And, while checking her emails on her diamante encrusted iPhone, she had to stop to simply admire her stunning, manicured fingernails. It was then that her attention was captivated by something else in the reflection of her touch-screen. Towards the back of the room, two of her classmates were acting quite uncharacteristically sombre; talking to each other in hushed voices with their eyes low and brows furrowed. Sharpay was intrigued. Something was going on. And she had to know more. Out of concern, of course. So, she leant as far back in her chair as she could and attempted to detect any hint of the grave conversation that was taking place.

Too wrapped up in their woes, Sharpay's 'curiosity' went unnoticed by Taylor and Gabriella and they continued to talk unaware of the eavesdropper.

"So, do you think that's it?" Gabriella asked carefully, knowing that her best-friend was currently in a very sensitive place. "I mean, can you see you two… getting back together?"

Taylor shrugged, propping her elbows up on the table and resting her chin in her palms. "I don't know." She said honestly. She'd spent the entire weekend wishing that he'd call, crying herself to sleep. The hope that they'd patch things up was already starting to fade.

Seeing the devastation in Taylor's eyes made Gabriella instinctively reach out and place her hand on her friend's back. She rubbed in small circles comfortingly. "Hey, you never know." She assured her.

But she wasn't sure what else to say. She'd never been ready for this day. Never seen this coming. Because Chad and Taylor had always seemed so perfect for each other in the most unusual way. And Taylor was so strong, Gabriella never thought she'd see her so broken.

"But, the thing is," Taylor said, drawing in a deep breath and sitting up straight. "He was right." She released the lung-full of air despairingly. "I mean, if I can't accept where he's from then… maybe we shouldn't be together."

She'd been thinking about it. A hell of a lot. And when she faced reality she realised that she and Chad were destined to break-up at the end of the year when they graduated, so maybe it was easier this way. Though, that didn't make it hurt any less. Because, of all the things that Taylor knew in the world, the feeling of having her heart broken was something she'd never experienced. Until a couple of days ago, she'd never believed in the cliché of not being able to eat or sleep, but now she understood. All she could think about was Chad. Everything she did to get her mind off him only succeeded in somehow reminding her of what she'd lost. And she suffered from an awful feeling of emptiness that not even her most laboured efforts could overcome.

"Anyway," she forced a bright smile and averted her attention to Gabriella. "How are things with you? Did that Asher boy get you home alright?"

Gabriella removed her hand from the small of Taylor's back and clasped it within her other hand on her desk. While she shifted nervously in her seat, her eyes darted to the clock. "Ms. Darbus is running late." She observed, changing the subject quite blatantly.

"Gabriella…" Taylor said in a playful warning tone. "What aren't you telling me?" You didn't have to be Gabriella's best-friend to know that she was trying to avoid a subject. But it certainly helped if you planned on coercing it out of her.

After stealing a quick, suspicious glance around the room, Gabriella leaned as close as she could to Taylor. Taylor followed her lead and their heads met halfway between their desks, Gabriella's lips ending up only an inch from Taylor's ear.

"You can't tell anyone, okay?" She whispered.

Taylor nodded eagerly, deeply fascinated by what Gabriella had to say.

Another lengthy pause passed before Gabriella broke the suspense. "He kissed me."

Taylor shot upright in her seat so quickly that she made Gabriella jump. Her eyes were wide, a hand over her open mouth and a disbelieving frown on her brow. Gabriella put a finger to her lips, warning her friend without words to stop attracting attention to them both. But it took Taylor a few seconds to regain her composure. _That _she had not been expecting.

When she'd finally stopped reeling, Taylor said quietly; "Well, what did you do?"

"I pushed him off!" Gabriella hissed as if it was obvious.

It _was _obvious. And Taylor didn't need to know that her reaction hadn't been instant. It was already too complicated. Gabriella knew that she had absolutely no feelings for Asher- that she loved Troy with all of her heart- but that didn't stop her from feeling so sorry for the boy she had rejected. And she was angry at herself for sending him the signals that apparently made him feel that kissing her would be appropriate.

Taylor looked as though she wanted to say a lot more but refrained. Instead, she narrowed her many queries down to one important question. "Does Troy know?" When Gabriella shook her head, she continued to ask; "Don't you think you should tell him?"

Frowning pensively, Gabriella shook her head again. "It was a meaningless accident." She dismissed. "Besides, telling Troy about it wouldn't make things any better."

Unfortunately for Sharpay, most of Gabriella and Taylor's conversation had been too cautiously quiet for her to gather any interesting information, and her lip-reading skills had never been very good. But she'd heard that last, intriguing sentence from Gabriella. And she saw that things may have been about to get a little more interesting as neither of the girls had noticed that Troy had already arrived.

"Telling me about what?"

Both Gabriella and Taylor simultaneously jumped out of their skin as Troy dumped himself ungracefully on the seat in front of Gabriella.

"N-nothing." Gabriella insisted hurriedly with an unconvincing smile. Taylor nodded but toyed anxiously with her earring.

Troy rubbed deep into his eyes with the heel of his palm. He could see that something was up. He probably would have pursued the matter if he wasn't so unbearably exhausted. But he'd been up all night, holding his mother until she fell asleep as he'd done the night before and the night before that. Since that Friday evening she'd done nothing but cry and lament the many failures in her life, while Jack Bolton did all he could to avoid his crumbling family. This had left Troy with the continuous job of keeping his mum under control and trying to reassure her that she was loved.

When she realised that she was off the hook, Gabriella allowed herself to relax. In doing so, she found herself taking in the sight of her boyfriend and was suddenly overcome with concern. She'd never seen him looking so worn-out, not even after hours of training. The way his shoulders drooped made him look as though he had the weight of the world resting on him and he had dark circles around his eyes. Even when he blinked it was sluggish as though his body didn't want him to stay awake.

"Are you okay, Troy?" She asked, gently reaching over her desk to place a hand on his shoulder. Maybe she imagined it, but it almost felt as though he shuddered at her touch.

He shrugged, unintentionally knocking her hand away. "Long night." He explained distantly. He didn't mean to be so blunt but he wasn't in the mood for a deep conversation. "I don't wanna talk about it."

But Gabriella wasn't willing to sit by and do nothing as Troy suffered so obviously right in front of her. She got up from her table and crouched beside him. "You can tell me anything you know." She told him, placing her hands on top of his which rested on his lap. She thought for a moment before adding; "Is it your mom again?"

Troy had confided in Gabriella before about all the drama at home. But he never wanted to burden her with his problems when he knew she had so many of her own to deal with. She was just so good to talk to, so supportive and understanding and she always knew what to say to make him feel better. Troy felt confident now, as he looked into Gabriella's loving, brown eyes. She smiled at him warmly in a way that told him that she'd always be there for him, and Troy couldn't have felt more grateful.

He nodded in answer to her question. "But it's alright now." He lied, giving her hand a squeeze. He regarded her admiringly. "I love you so much." He said.

Gabriella's smile was only small, but it meant everything. "I love you too, Troy."

To spoil the moment, the bell rang to mark the start of the day. Reluctantly, Troy rose from the random desk he sat at and he and Gabriella wandered to their own seats while a particularly flustered Ms. Darbus entered the room.

"I apologise for my tardiness, class." She announced, gliding flamboyantly to her table. She settled almost instantly, adjusted her glasses and flicked her scarf around her neck in a most exaggerated fashion. Finally, she looked up at her expectant students. "But as they say in the theatre-"

"Sorry I'm late, Miss D." Chad appeared at the door.

Ms. Darbus opened her mouth to scold him but Chad simply flashed one of his most influential, innocent smiles. It was well-practiced and unbelievably effective and, in the end, Darbus just nodded and allowed Chad to saunter to his seat without punishment.

Sharpay watched, unimpressed. People were acting strangely; Gabriella had a constant look of nervousness and guilt on her face while Troy seemed to be struggling to stay awake, and since Chad had walked in the room, Taylor looked as though she would burst into tears any second. Sharpay could see it all and she was dissatisfied with her current lack of an explanation. She just _had _to be in on all the latest classroom gossip. She just _had _to know it all.

And then it dawned on her…

It was the way that Taylor's eyes kept straying to gaze wistfully at the back of Chad's head. And how they hadn't greeted each other like they usually did. Now, it made sense.

"Oh my god…" Sharpay thought aloud, catching the class's attention with her sudden interruption of Ms, Darbus' enthusiastic lecture. Seemingly unaware of- or unfazed by- the fact that all eyes were now on her, Sharpay continued to relish in her discovery. She pointed a dainty finger at Taylor, then redirected it at Chad. "You two've broken up." She revealed carelessly.

A mutual gasp echoed throughout the room as all eyes turned to the mortified couple. Even Ms. Darbus looked momentarily stunned. The classroom now buzzed with hushed voices, confused questions and disbelieving whispers. Sharpay felt a rare prick of guilt as she realised that she probably could have handled that with a bit more sensitivity, but at the same time, she felt almost triumphant at figuring out one of the juiciest bits of news that she'd heard for a long time.

Chad bit down on his lip and tried to avoid all the questioning gazes directed at him by staring down at the mindless scribbles on his desk. Ignoring all the attention was a little tougher for Taylor, however, as she found herself feeling overwhelmed and dismayed. Her whole body flushed hot and a light sweat was building up on her brow. Her palms were sweaty and all she could do was squirm nervously in her seat. But it seemed her lungs were closing in on themselves as each breath she took got smaller and smaller until all she could muster were short gasps. Her stomach was turning, the room spinning, and her head felt like it was about to burst.

This couldn't be because of the embarrassment. This was something else.

She had to get out. She was going to be sick. She could feel the bile rising in her throat. And she had no time to excuse herself. Instead, she jumped to her feet and took a desperate sprint to the door. But unfortunately, it was all too late. Her stomach folded in on itself, and Taylor was powerless to stop her half-digested breakfast spilling out of her open mouth. By some miracle, she'd managed to position herself beside the bin which was to the left of the door, and through a skilled manoeuvre of her entire body, she was able to direct the majority of her stomach contents into the deep plastic container.

The room was silent. Deafeningly so. No-one knew what to do- or if they should do anything at all.

Not thinking, simply acting out of concern and loving impulse, Chad got to his feet. But, although his reaction had been instant, he was too slow. Gabriella already had the situation covered. She hurried past Chad, straight to Taylor, and took her trembling friend by the waist, leading her gently and wordlessly out of the room. Chad couldn't take his eyes off his fragile ex-girlfriend; the way she hunched so painfully over the bin and the way she swayed slightly as Gabriella escorted her away. Rational thoughts only returned once the door had shut behind them. Then, he sank slowly back down to his seat and returned his gaze to his desk. Only then did he realise that his fisted hands were shaking.

* * *

Taylor went home after that. She blamed her sickness on exhaustion. She told Gabriella that with the heaps of work she'd been doing recently and the break-up coupled with all that sudden, embarrassing attention in class, her body had momentarily cracked under the pressure. A plausible enough excuse. But something about it just didn't sit right with Gabriella. It seemed as though Taylor was hiding something. And it was a matter that Gabriella planned to push when her best-friend was feeling better.

For now though, Gabriella felt refreshingly contented as she and Troy walked together out of the school's front doors. The day was over, the sun was shining and she was happy and comfortable in the arms of the boy she loved. He had a gentle hold on her at the waist and gracefully guided her down the school's front steps. Gabriella smiled to herself, inhaling his scent and shivering with pleasure at the feeling of his fingers gently tracing her stomach. This was bliss. This was perfect. And, for the first time in three days, she could finally forget about--

"Hey, isn't that Asher?" Troy broke her from her thoughts.

It took her a moment to absorb his words but when she did, her heart started to pound. What was he doing here? Surely he couldn't be there to see them. To see _her_. But when she followed Troy's line of sight, the scene before her was what she had dreaded. Asher was parked across the road from the school, leaning against his car, staring right at them. Before Gabriella could say anything to Troy- though she wasn't sure what she _could _say- Asher began to advance towards them.

"Alright, man?" Troy greeted him when Asher was within hearing range. It was strange seeing the boy from West High again without warning, and it was clear that the meeting was no coincidence as Asher had quite obviously been waiting for them. Stranger though, was Gabriella's reaction which had not gone unnoticed by her boyfriend.

Usually friendly and welcoming, Gabriella's attitude towards Asher had completely transformed as she avoided eye-contact and offered no greeting, instead just nodding uncomfortably.

Asher noticed it too. "Yeah…" He answered Troy's question but seemed disinterested as though his thoughts were elsewhere. He regarded Gabriella almost expectantly and intensely engrossed. Troy frowned curiously and looked between the two, oblivious to the reason behind their weird behaviour.

"I was hoping I'd see you out here." Asher said directly to Gabriella whose eyes were fixated on the ground. "You left this in my car on Friday night." He continued, presenting a thick white cardigan- her favourite. He held it out in front of her, and for a moment Gabriella refrained from taking it.

It was more embarrassment than anything else. The awkward situation was unlike any other position she'd been put in. And all the while, there was an underlying fear that Asher would tell Troy what happened between them.

Troy cleared his throat and Gabriella realised she'd been keeping them both waiting. She met Asher's eyes for a second, giving him a tight smile, and reached out for her cardigan.

"Thanks." She said flatly, her hand grasping around the soft fabric. She waited for Asher to release the item of clothing to her but he did not. His grip on the cardigan did not weaken. She was forced to look at him once again.

She shot him a pleading look of anxious uncertainty. He stared back at her with eyes full of want and desire.

Troy watched on, feeling invisible. And confused. And… was that jealousy? Something was making his heart beat faster. And as hard as he tried to force himself- as hard as he tried to tell himself he was just being paranoid- he couldn't ignore the way Asher's hand lingered on Gabriella's.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow! I absolutely loved all the reviews! And that's no exaggeration. Each one puts a smile on my face. The awesomest people in the world are…;

**Vfanforlife, pamylz, LadiiBabiiCottonCandii990** (Ashface?... I quite like that nickname you've given him lol), **chaylorXtraylorlover101, ChaylorTwilightQueen10** (as a Chaylor-fanatic myself, trust me I know how you feel! But you know I love my drama ;D ), **corbinsbabygrl1, italianvballgirl** and **mzwendy85.**

So, doesn't seem like Asher's going away. And Troy's getting suspicious. Uh-oh. Poor Taylor too. (Chad still cares….) But I hope you liked the little Troyella moments ('cos we gotta have some romance!). Plus an appearance from Sharpay! Tell me what you think and thanks for reading!

_**xX M Xx**_


	5. Home, Sweet Home

**Playing With Fire

* * *

**

**Summary: **One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that none of them could imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk.

**Pairings: **Chaylor, Troyella.

**Warnings: **Possible mild language, violence, mentions of adult themes.

**

* * *

4. Home, Sweet Home

* * *

**

Troy dribbled the ball, making a steady approach to the basket. He focused on nothing but net as his pace quickened to a light sprint and, when he felt he was close enough, he bent his knees and sprang up to release a perfect jump-shot. The expected 'swish' sound of the ball falling through the hoop did not follow. Instead, it was more of a knock as the rubber basketball hit the backboard and ricocheted towards the ground.

Heaving a sigh, Troy retrieved his ball and began to dribble it once again. This was the seventh time he'd missed. He'd been out practicing on the court in his garden since he got home. But he had too much on his mind. He couldn't concentrate on precision or technique. Not while he knew that Gabriella was hiding something from him.

While they'd walked home, she'd insisted that there was no weird vibe between her and Asher. She laughed off Troy's questions and quickly changed the subject. But Troy had _seen. _He'd seen it with his own eyes. That way that Asher looked at his girlfriend, it worried him. And the way Gabriella acted differently in his presence. What concerned him the most was the fact that Gabriella felt she couldn't talk to him about it. Whatever '_it' _was.

He was about to take another shot, certain that this time he'd score, when he heard a car pulling into his drive. He tucked his ball under one arm and waited. A few moments later, his father became visible through the windows of the backdoor, entering the kitchen. But Jack Bolton was not alone.

Troy, who'd gone unnoticed by his dad and the guest, took a few steps closer to the house for a better look. His father was with a woman. She was pretty. Young. And strangely familiar. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and a tight fitting business suit. And she was laughing. Troy couldn't hear her but her flirtatious, scarlet-lipsticked grin said enough. Her hand was in Jack's as he led her into the room, and while he turned to the fridge, she hoisted herself up to sit on one of the kitchen surfaces.

It was as though Troy's feet were stuck to a conveyer belt, pulling him towards the scene in front of him. Before he knew it, his face was almost pressed up against the glass of the window, and he was watching, totally and utterly immersed.

Jack abandoned his search in the fridge and turned back to his companion. She smiled at him coyly and raised an inviting eyebrow and he approached her at once. He put both hands on her waist and pulled her forwards so her backside slid slightly on the kitchen counter. Now, he stood before her, her seated position making their faces completely level, and their bodies pressed tightly together.

As much as Troy wanted to look away, as he knew what was to come, he could not tear his eyes from the man and woman in his kitchen. He flinched when they began to kiss.

He must have unconsciously made a sound; a quiet wail of dismay or perhaps and snort of disgust, because both his father and the woman instantly stopped what they were doing and their attention snapped toward the door at which Troy stood. She looked horrified and embarrassed. He looked guilty and shocked. Troy simply blinked and allowed his ball to roll from under his armpit back into his hand. He began to bounce it, turning away and walking slowly to the middle of the court.

To him, it was unreal. He'd known that his father didn't love his mother anymore- they never spoke to each other and, if they did, they were fighting- but he'd never imagined that his dad would go so far as to see another woman. In their own home. Lucy was just upstairs.

The heartless son-of-a-bitch. Once upon a time, Troy had aspired to be just like his father. Now, the only thing he felt for Jack Bolton was revulsion.

The backdoor clicked as it opened and Jack stepped gingerly out. Troy did not turn around. He assumed that the woman had made her undignified exit.

"You're home early." Was his father's greeting.

Troy did not respond. This man had no right to talk to him, or to even be in this house. He did not deserve Troy's attention and he would not get it. There was no respect here. Not anymore.

"Look," Jack continued with a sigh. "What you saw… was not what it looked like."

Troy continued to dribble the ball between his hands.

"Miss Delaney was just here to discuss after-school schemes…"

Delaney. That's why she'd been familiar. She was a substitute. She'd covered Troy's lesson, 3rd period.

Jack Bolton had apparently run out of patience with his scornful son. "Are you listening to me?" He asked with frustration. He strode heavily until they stood face-to-face. Troy just continued to dribble the ball at his feet. The anger at being ignored burned through Jack until he finally cracked. "Troy?!" He yelled, smacking the ball from his son's hands. It bounced a few times on the concrete before disappearing near the trees.

Now, Troy looked up. He met his father's eyes defiantly. And all the fury in Jack Bolton melted away into regret. He knew he was tearing his family apart. He could see what he was doing to his son. His son who once idolised him and now detested him. He opened his mouth to speak but found no words. Instead, Troy finally broke the silence.

"Mom's upstairs." He said flatly. "She's been crying all day."

Troy noticed his father bite down on his bottom lip, but the remorse he was displaying was too little, too late. Things would never be the same. Everything was wrong. Everyday was filled with hatred. Every silent moment spent in that house where loathing hung on the air like fog. Jack did this. He got no sympathy.

"Don't you see what you're doing to her?" Troy went on in an accusing tone. He narrowed his eyes and spared a moment to glance up at the window of his parent's bedroom. The curtains were drawn. Maybe she was sleeping.

"All you need to worry about is winning the championships," Jack said sternly. Troy drew his attention back to his father. "D'you understand?"

A bitter scowl was Troy's only form of response. Then, he turned his back on his father, collected his ball and went inside. How could he focus on championships when there was so much else going on in his life?

* * *

To say that Gabriella never wanted to see Asher again would be an understatement.

She had nothing against the boy. In fact, under different circumstances, they could have been good friends. And she certainly felt bad for treating him so coldly. But seeing him was too awkward.

It was good of him, not to have said anything to Troy. Troy. Gabriella hated lying to him. More than anything. She trusted him and knew that he would never leave her for a mistaken kiss. But she also knew that, if he found out what had happened with Asher, there would always be a little bit of doubt in his mind. And that doubt would grow and grow. And eventually it would eat away at both of them, at their relationship. All because of one kiss. So, she couldn't tell Troy. As much as keeping it from him pained her. She just couldn't.

Gabriella switched on her stereo, turning up the volume in an attempt to block out the sound of her own thoughts. She flung her cardigan down on her bed, then followed its lead, slumping ungracefully onto her mattress. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, trying to rationalise the jumble of thoughts that whizzed through her mind.

With a sigh, she allowed her head to roll to the side so she could gaze through the window. Something beside her on the bed caught her eye. A folded sheet of blue paper, lying amongst the white fabric of her sweater.

She sat up sharply and took the unfamiliar paper in her hands. With hesitant fingers, she unfolded it to reveal a neatly handwritten note. Her eyes skimmed to the bottom of the page to confirm what she'd suspected. The note was signed 'Asher'. And now she wasn't sure if she wanted to read it or not. Avoiding this boy was becoming ridiculously impossible.

It took her a few minutes to ready herself before she finally plucked up the courage to focus on the words in front of her.

'_Gabriella, I'm sorry about what  
__happened on Friday. I shouldn't__  
have done it. I feel awful for putting  
__you in such a terrible position. My  
__number is on the back of this note.  
__Please contact me if you forgive me.  
I need to know. _

_Asher.'_

She _did _forgive him. He wasn't even in the wrong really, since he hadn't known she had a boyfriend. But Gabriella was still reluctant to accept the offer to call him. She could already imagine how uncomfortable that conversation would be. The thought of it made her wretchedly hot and cold all over. At the same time, she knew that it would be rude to just ignore him. The poor boy had probably been fretting all weekend. He was probably waiting right now, expectant and nervous for her reply.

In the end, Gabriella decided to respond. Just in a less personal way. She dialled his number into her cell-phone and began to write out a simple but reassuring text message. When complete- and after a long time of debating whether or not to end the message with kisses- she read over it at least ten times before finally pressing send.

_MESSAGE SENT_

Her phone confirmed, vibrating softly in her hand. Gabriella couldn't help but smile slightly as she felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders. Of course, she didn't realise that her troubles had only just begun.

* * *

Taylor always paced when she was nervy. But, right now, she was _way _beyond nervy. And pacing wasn't quite cutting it.

Her mouth was dry. Her hands were shaking. She was so wobbly on her legs that she could barely stand. So she sat. On the floor, in the centre of her bedroom. Her legs were crossed, her elbows rested on her knees and her face was buried in her hands. And in front of her, on the carpeted floor, lay the pregnancy test.

All she could do was wait. The box said it would be four minutes before she got the results. Four minutes. Four minutes seemed an insanely long amount of time.

All she could do was wait.

And think.

Her first stop when she'd left school earlier that day was the pharmacy. She felt like one of those girls she'd always looked down on as she stood at the counter to purchase the pregnancy test. One of those girls who messed up and threw their lives away by having a child too soon.

Because it _was _too soon. All her dreams…. How could she go to Yale with a baby? No Yale meant no degree. And she sure as hell wasn't going to be president with this kind of scandal under her belt. A teenage pregnancy. How could she be so stupid? How did she let this happen?

They'd always used protection, she and Chad. But she still remembered that night. They must have gotten carried away. The condom split. At the time they almost found it funny, laughed it off certain that nothing would happen. She wasn't laughing now.

Her watch beeped. Two minutes left.

She wanted to scream. To cry out from the roof of her house. She wanted Chad to hold her and tell her that everything would be alright. But she couldn't tell him. She couldn't tell anyone. Her parents would kill her. And Gabriella…

Gabriella was by far the best friend Taylor had ever had. They trusted each other with their lives. And they both knew deep down that they would always be in each others lives. Until they were old and grey. But Gabriella was only human. And like any other human, she had the capacity to form an opinion. To judge.

Taylor and Gabriella had once discussed teenage pregnancy after a girl in their chemistry class dropped out to have a baby. They were both so disdainful. So judgemental. Appalled, even. Taylor knew Gabriella would stick by her no matter what but, deep down, Gabriella would be disappointed. And that would never go away.

Her watch beeped again. One minute.

Four minutes had never passed so slowly. And here she was, considering her options. She didn't even know if she was pregnant. She probably wasn't even—

The door to Taylor's bedroom burst open. Taylor had never moved so quickly in her life. Before she even looked to see who it was, she knocked the pregnancy test with her hand and sent it sliding under her bed, while simultaneously getting to her feet in what had to be the smoothest motion she'd ever achieved.

Out of breath, she forced a weak smile to greet her mother.

Tallulah McKessie stood at her daughter's bedroom door, a laundry basket under one arm, and a mixture of confused and unimpressed painted on her face. She looked at Taylor, then visually scanned the room.

"Have you done your homework?" She asked, entering slowly and suspiciously. She continued her constant scrutinizing of the room while peeling a few folded items of clothing from the pile in her basket.

Taylor nodded stiffly. Her heart was racing. Her eyes kept darting to the blaringly white stick, poking out so obviously from under her bed. She could have laughed with relief when her mother finally turned to leave. That joy was short-lived.

Tallulah paused at the door and turned back to face her daughter. Her brow was furrowed with deep thought and concern. "Is something going on, Taylor?" She asked her youngest child. "You've been acting… unusual, recently."

A smile could not have been more forced and blatantly fake than the one that Taylor mustered at that moment. "Just got a lot on my mind." She said hurriedly. "Finals, prom, graduation." She shrugged.

Her mother was not convinced. But it seemed she chose to hold back whatever response was trying to escape from her, because she gave a curt, acceptant nod and- without another word- exited the room, closing the door as she went.

No sooner had the door shut than Taylor was down on her hands and knees, fumbling desperately for the discarded pregnancy test. With fiercely shaking hands, she gripped the plastic strip and raised it to eye-level. She could hear her heart beat, pulsing around her head. Her entire body was covered in a sheen of sweat. Her eyes were full of tears.

But she could see clear enough.

The result spoke loud and clear.

It was positive.

She was pregnant.

* * *

Chad had heard enough.

Standing in the cramped corridor outside the closed living room door, he suddenly regretted his decision to listen in on his mother's conversation with her nosey best friend Gwen. Ten minutes earlier, he'd been passing the room on his way to the kitchen, focussed on finding an evening snack. He'd heard the voices of his mother and her friend through the thick wood of the door and would have continued on his way, uninterested, had he not heard his name mentioned. Instantly, he was intrigued. He forgot his rumbling stomach and pressed his ear to the door to find out why he was the subject of their conversation. What he heard made him want to cry out.

Michelle Danforth sounded exasperated. She sounded despairing. But above all, she sounded ashamed. Chad embarrassed her. He listened as she spoke openly about his lack of motivation, his underachieving at school and his permanent unemployment. She compared him to his older brother; whom she spoke about with such pride as he had just graduated and paid for their bathroom to be refurbished. Her final point was that she felt- in fact, she _knew-_ that Chad's obsession with basketball would get him nowhere.

"He's a talented boy," She said despondently. "But he's not good enough to make it professionally. He just doesn't realise that."

So, Chad had heard enough.

He had always thought that his parents believed in him and supported him. Now, he realised they were as sick of him as Taylor was. The devastation hit him hard and he discovered that his eyes were brimming with tears. Almost stumbling, he backed away from the door and turned on his heel to head back up to his bedroom.

But then he had another idea.

He could change their minds about him. He could make them see that he wasn't a complete failure. He could bring in as much money as his older brother did. He could bring in _more _money. Easily. And he knew just where to find it.

It was Monday night and he realised that the opportunity to make some hard cash- the opportunity to impress the people who looked down on him- had been staring him in the face all along. He pulled his cell-phone out of his back pocket and scrolled through his contacts until he found the one he needed. Then, he pressed 'Call', held the phone to his ear and waited.

As it rang, he walked as quietly as he could to the front door. He didn't want to have to explain where he was going. He didn't really know. After five rings, he started to doubt his impulsive plan. He started to wonder if he was thinking straight. But then he was greeted by a familiar voice.

"Hello?"

Chad smiled to himself, if somewhat nervously, and stepped out of his house into the cool night. "Hi," He greeted. "Damon? It's Chad." He allowed himself one final pause for thought before diving into a proposition that would change his life forever. "You said you needed back-up tonight…. I was just wondering if that offer still stands…"

* * *

**A/N: **So sorry for the delay. A lot's been going on (you could even say I've been playing with some fire of my own) and, though it's not sorted, I don't want to start slacking with the story and keeping everyone waiting. I was thrilled by all the reviews so thanks ever so much to;

**LadiiBabiiCottonCandii990, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, pamylz, 2pinkstarand7blackberry, pumpkinking5, corbinsbabygrl1, italianvballgirl, sd freek, chaylorXtraylorlover101, mzwendy85, Vfanforlife** and **corbins wifey.** And, can I just say it's so wonderful to see new reviewers each time as well as my usual loyal readers.

Alrighty, the tension builds! Troy's home life is falling apart, Gabriella has just unknowingly worsened the situation with Asher/Ashface/Dusty, Taylor (as most people guessed) is pregnant and Chad is about to cross over to the dark side! Jeez! I'm sure a lot of you can see where this is going. Or can you…?

_**xX M Xx**_


	6. Arguments and Agony

**Playing With Fire

* * *

**

**Summary: **One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that none of them could imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk.

**Pairings: **Chaylor, Troyella.

**Warnings: **Possible mild language, violence, mentions of adult themes.

**

* * *

5. Arguments and Agony

* * *

**

"I dunno, guys…" Troy sighed distractedly. "This just isn't like him." He turned his fork over in his hand before returning it to the tray in front of him and casting a wary glance at his surroundings.

Gabriella drew her attention away from her salad quite reluctantly, having heard Troy say something similar mere minutes before. She raised a questioning eyebrow and directed it at her seemingly agitated boyfriend. "What, you mean Chad?" She asked, though quite indifferent. When Troy nodded absent-mindedly, she added as if it were obvious; "He's late every day."

"Yeah, but never _this _late." Troy responded.

It was lunchtime, Tuesday, and no-one had seen or heard from Chad since the day before. It wasn't unusual for him to arrive long after school had begun but it _was _strange for him to miss his favourite part of the day; lunch. His absence seemed not to faze Gabriella or Taylor, but Troy couldn't shake this feeling of dread. The worry he felt must have been obvious because Taylor caught one look at him and rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, stop being so dramatic." She scoffed unsympathetically. "He probably got lost on his way to school or something." She joked half-heartedly then muttered. "I wouldn't be surprised." Her mouth showed a smile but her tone was bitter. She couldn't help it. She could either detest her ex-boyfriend or pine after him every second of every day. Hating him was just so much easier.

But her subtle resentment didn't go unnoticed. Gabriella looked at her best-friend, almost seeing a different person. The usual bright, chirpiness and witty sarcasm that Taylor brought to any situation was gone. In its place was a down-trodden and sullen temperament. With that and Taylor's behaviour yesterday, Gabriella knew something was going on. And she had a possible- but utterly ridiculous- idea of what it might be.

"Is everything alright Taylor?" She asked suddenly, unable to stop herself. It wasn't just curiosity. In fact, it was mostly concern. And, in a way, she felt hurt. Because her best-friend clearly didn't trust her enough to confide in her. Taylor even looked shocked by the harmless question and Gabriella was forced to continue. "It's just, you haven't touched your lunch."

Relaxing slightly, Taylor shrugged. "I'm not hungry." She said bluntly.

Gabriella felt another pang of betrayal. There was obviously something wrong. And Taylor must have known that Gabriella was on to her. So _why _did she feel the need to lie about it?

"And yesterday—?" Gabriella decided to press the matter but an increasingly frustrated Taylor was having none of it.

"It's fine." She said. She raised her hands as if in surrender. "I'm fine."

But she wasn't. Her heart was racing. Gabriella couldn't know. Could she?

Gabriella did not plan on letting the subject go without a fight. If she could just get Taylor to admit it… "But--."

"I said I'm fine!" Taylor snapped. She realised that her raised voice had attracted the attention of the nearby students and bowed her head with embarrassment. "Just drop it." She muttered in a low voice, her gaze fixed on her lap.

It seemed Gabriella had more to say but she did not get the chance. Taylor got to her feet and, without looking at either of her friends, headed for the cafeteria doors. Troy and Gabriella watched her leave.

"What was that about?" Troy asked once Taylor was gone. He'd stayed out of the girls' heated discussion for no other reason than his fear of getting his head bitten off by either one of them. Now that Taylor was gone, Gabriella still seemed quite annoyed, but the multitude of unanswered questions that surrounded what had just happened were stimulating enough for Troy to take the risk.

That risk almost paid-off too. Gabriella's shoulders loosened a bit and she opened her mouth to answer. But before she could get a word out, her cell-phone began to vibrate in her pocket.

"Hold on." She told Troy, pulling the device out and holding it up to answer. She almost accepted the call, but then she caught a glimpse of the caller ID and her heart sank. There on the screen, flashing in bold letters, was one name. Asher. She should have known.

Gabriella's thumb relocated to the red button at the base of her phone and she pressed it hard to reject the call. But no sooner had she done so than it started to vibrate again. She faced facts that the easiest way to deal with this situation was to face it, not to try to avoid it. So she turned back to Troy, gave him a quick peck on the cheek and stood up from the table.

"I've gotta go." She said, leaving him no time to ask questions before she hurried out into the corridor. With a feeling of dread, she pressed the green button to accept the call and brought her phone to her ear. "I told you to stop calling me." Was her frank greeting. No time for pleasantries. She'd lost patience a long time ago.

It had started last night. A couple of seconds after she'd sent that text to Asher, she realised that he now had her phone number. It was too late for regrets. Within that minute, he'd texted back. Out of politeness, she'd continued the messaging conversation with him, sending short texts back and forth, but eventually she'd had enough. It just didn't feel right. An hour after his last message, when Gabriella failed to reply, Asher started to call. Gabriella was gentle with him but made it clear that she did not want to talk. He didn't seem to understand. In the end she had to turn her phone off altogether. She'd hoped that he would have gotten the hint by now.

Apparently not.

Asher's stunned silence gave way to his somewhat cocky voice. "I know," He said, sounding relaxed. "But I thought you could sleep on it."

"No, Asher." Usually passive Gabriella felt like slamming her fist into one of the lockers she currently leaned on. It was like talking to a brick wall. "That's it. I'm sorry." She said harshly. "I don't know how else I can say this…." And she had to pause to think of the gentlest way of putting it. "I've tried to be nice but I just don't want to talk to you."

"So then why did you text me?" Came Asher's instant reply. He sounded agitated and Gabriella could imagine his disapproving frown. "Why do you keep changing your mind? You're playing with me." He bit accusingly.

The unpleasantness in his voice frightened Gabriella. "I'm not." She defended herself, though her voice sounded smaller than usual. She cleared her throat and straightened her back and told herself to pull herself together. "I'm saying this loud and clear." She told him. "I don't want you. Leave me alone."

That should have been it. It should have ended there and then. But Asher had more to say.

"You liar!" He shouted so loud that Gabriella had to hold the phone away from her ear. "You want me. You told me you wanted me." His voice was breathy now. Disgusting and slimy. Though it didn't compare to the resentment that followed. "You kissed me." He snarled. "You lying whore!"

Gabriella couldn't take any more. She didn't think twice before ending the call. But, though he was gone, Asher's voice still echoed in her head. And, with it, lingered a feeling of trepidation and fear.

* * *

Meanwhile, Taylor had sought solace in a solitary walk around the school. She wandered the buzzing corridors, numb to her surroundings as if she was in a bubble. Nothing touched her. No-one bothered her. She was left alone with her thoughts.

There was a lot to think about. She'd spurned Gabriella so harshly, and though it was only a matter of minutes ago, she already regretted it. But she would do anything to protect her secret, even if that meant pushing away the people closest to her. At the same time, she yearned for someone she could talk to. If she could only sit down with someone and explain her feelings, maybe she'd be able to get a better grip on the situation. Maybe…

But telling the truth wasn't an option.

Pain. Sudden but extreme. A stabbing pain in her stomach. Taylor had to stop walking, just to stop herself from collapsing altogether from shock. It knocked the breath right out of her. And it didn't stop. She clutched her stomach with both arms, her knees shuddering beneath her. A searing agony pierced through her core.

Fear. Confusion and dismay. What was happening? Why was she in so much—_pain!_

Another jolt of it. And her legs almost buckled completely. She reached out weakly with both hands for a wall, a locker, anything to hold onto. She could feel herself falling.

But then, hands. Warm, firm, familiar. They held her at the waist. They kept her upright. Their touch spread through her like water, extinguishing the fire or agony that had torn through her. It was gradual, but eventually, she found she could breathe again. At last, her body no longer ached.

Her head had hung loosely to face the ground, but now she summoned the strength to look up and meet his worried eyes. Dark, loving eyes, full or alarm and question. He held her gaze- just as he held her waist- with a strength that was both commanding and gentle at the same time.

Chad. Her Chad.

A non-stop torrent of students swirled past them, oblivious to the deathly still couple. Chad and Taylor simply stared at each other for what felt like hours. Neither of them wanted to part. They'd been separate for just over three days. It already felt like an excruciating lifetime.

It was obvious- and they both knew- that they wanted to be together. But things were complicated. For starters, they were both too stubborn. Plus, Taylor didn't want to drag Chad into all the baby drama. She didn't even know what she was going to do yet and he was too immature to deal with such huge news. Chad would give anything to be back with the only girl he'd ever loved, but then he'd remember that all those problems that they'd broken up for would still be there. They'd always be there. And after the initial bliss of back-togetherness, all those woes would resurface.

They could never be what they were.

"Are you okay?" Chad finally disrupted their silence. His question was sincere but he allowed his hands to fall from Taylor's waist and return to his sides.

Devastated that the tender moment was over, for a while Taylor could only nod. "Yeah, I-…" She spoke at last, but had to stop herself at the risk of saying too much. She nodded politely. "Thanks."

Chad returned the nod. His eyes were screaming with unspoken words and it seemed almost as if it tortured him to turn away, but he ultimately brought himself to do it. He walked slowly in the direction he'd come but cast a final look over his shoulder. Taylor wasn't looking at him. She seemed to be trying to recompose herself. Chad started to wonder why she'd been so frail in the first place…

* * *

… His ponderings continued throughout the rest of the day and Chad found that he just couldn't get Taylor off his mind. It didn't help matters that, having arrived at the end of lunch, he'd missed his only chance to see Troy before basketball practice at the end of the day as they were in different classes. The lack of his best-friend made it even more difficult to find a distraction and Chad was more relieved than ever when the final bell rang and school ended.

Troy was already in the changing rooms, already in his kit, lacing up his shoes when Chad arrived. He looked up from his sneakers and greeted his friend with a pleased smile.

"Dude," He said, getting to his feet and slamming his locker shut. "Where've you been?"

Chad grinned devilishly. He was already appreciating the benefits of Troy's company. "I had a late night." He said vaguely.

As expected, Troy was intrigued. "What, homework?" He asked with a disbelieving frown.

"When have I ever done homework?" Chad joked as he finished putting on his basketball uniform. He led the way to the gym and Troy followed, continuing to guess from behind him.

"You're not still trying to get to level 39 on 'Mutant Zombie Space Invaders', are you?" He asked. The tone of scoffing certainty in his voice made it obvious that he thought this was the correct answer. Chad could imagine his smug and superior smirk.

"I swear that game is impossible!" He replied as they reached centre-court. Most of their team mates were already there and they instinctively started their usual warm-up. "But, no," Chad continued. He tossed a ball to Troy. "That's not why I was up all night."

Troy caught the ball and sent it back with more force behind it than was necessary. "Come on, dude!" He pleaded impatiently. "Are you gonna tell me or…?" The suspense Chad was building was becoming annoyingly unbearable. Troy had never been an overly-curious person but it was so rare for Chad to be keeping something from him that he almost felt as if he'd been ignored by his best-friend or forgotten.

"Okay," Chad sighed with a playful grin. "You remember that guy, Damon?"

The basketball hit Troy in the chest as he failed to catch it. Chad's divulgence had sent his thoughts elsewhere. "Tell me you didn't…" He responded, hoping this was some kind of joke.

When Chad nodded, Troy's heart sank with disappointment. He didn't like this. He didn't like it at all. It seemed dangerous and so… not-Chad. But things were changing. He could feel it. Things were not how they were supposed to be. And he felt powerless to stop it all.

"Chad," He said firmly. "I'm not sure if it's such a great idea to hang out with him."

But Chad just shrugged and his care-free smile remained. "Calm down, man." He said dismissively. "It was a one time thing." His statement wasn't one bit reassuring. And what followed only added further concern. "But, I've gotta say, that's the most fun I've had in a long time."

Their discussion continued throughout basketball practice as Chad described his night in detail and Troy tried to reason with him. Eventually they agreed to disagree but Chad reluctantly promised to never go out with Damon again. As their training session ended, a triumphant but still doubtful Troy wanted to continue his dissuasion but instead was greeted by the less-than-impressed, bellowing voice of his father. He knew at once that they were in trouble.

"Bolton! Danforth!" They both turned from where they stood to find Coach Bolton standing on the far end of the court with his hands on his hips. "Quit your chit-chat. I've had it with you two slacking." Troy and Chad looked at each other, then back at Bolton. "I want you both running laps."

Chad's mouth fell so far open that his jaw almost hit the ground. "What?" He gasped sharply. There were a few amused chuckles from their surrounding team-mates.

"But coach," Troy said. "Practice is over."

They were worn-out, drenched in their own sweat after one of their most strenuous training sessions yet. There was no way they could handle any more exercise. The rest of the team was almost finished trailing out of the gym when a passing Zeke gave Troy a sympathetic but amused pat on the shoulder.

"I said laps!" Coach snapped. "Now!" There was a commanding fury in his eyes that made his ridiculous demand seem a lot more do-able. Troy and Chad realised that they had no choice and, ignoring their aching bodies, began to jog lightly around the court.

"Unbelievable…" Troy muttered, shaking his head. His comment was quiet, but not quite inaudible, and his father's sharp ears picked up on it.

"What was that?" Called Jack from the centre of the gym. He looked severely unimpressed and Troy just knew that he'd gotten himself into more trouble.

He couldn't say it bothered him though. Recently, he was starting to enjoy annoying his dad. It wasn't as if the man didn't deserve it. Troy's loss of respect was completely called-for. "I said that this is unbelievable." He repeated defiantly.

Chad, jogging beside him, gave Troy a fleeting look of surprise. Coach Bolton's reaction was a little more extreme. His entire face went an unnatural shade of red and sweat could be seen breaking out on his brow. His eyes were frighteningly dark. He looked as though he would explode at any moment.

But then he stopped. Gulped. And through gritted teeth, spoke in the most controlled voice he could muster. "Right," He said bluntly. "Danforth, you can go."

The look on Chad's face made it clear that he wasn't keen on leaving his best friend. The look on Bolton's face made it clear that there was no choice in the matter. With one last remorseful glance at Troy, Chad hastened his jog to a sprint and headed out the door.

"What about me?" Troy could now barely get his words out between heaving breaths. His chest was burning and his legs felt like jelly. There was a coppery taste at the back of his mouth and his lungs wheezed and shuddered with each gasping inhale.

"You keep running."

His feet were going on auto-pilot but that didn't block out the throbbing pain that each step caused. "But I can't." He admitted with desperation.

Jack simply watched. "You will," He said, putting his hands on his hips. "Or I'm taking away your role as captain."

"But dad-." Troy begged.

The calm façade that Jack had maintained for only a moment disappeared. "Do it!" He yelled.

So he did. He ran. Around and around. Until he could run no more. Until every joint in his body creaked and every fibre of instinct within him screamed at him to stop. At long last, his body just gave up on him. First, the room started to spin. Then, he was distantly aware of the fact that his feet were stumbling over each other. Then, suddenly, all he could see was the ceiling.

At least it was rest, he thought.

His father's face came into view, leaning over him and peering down with a look of pure hatred. "If you keep giving me attitude," He growled, his voice sounding far away and swimming in and out of Troy's ears. "And if you say _anything _to your mother…" He paused to look around the gym, then turned his attention back to his winded son. "This will continue."

* * *

**A/N: **Well as you can guess from the time it's taken me to update, the metaphorical fire I've been playing with has not been sorted out. It's only gotten worse. I'm really sorry once again for the delay.

Lil' bit of Chaylor in there 'cos you know I can't handle keeping those two apart, Troy's dad is the biggest douche and Asher's been put in his place but will he stay there? Please fill me in on what you think and all reviewers will be named next chapter! Also apologies if there are any mistakes but I uploaded this in a hurry and didn't stop to check it...

_**xX M Xx**_


	7. Truth Hurts

**Playing With Fire

* * *

**

**Summary: **One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that none of them could imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk.

**Pairings: **Chaylor, Troyella.

**Warnings: **Possible mild language, violence, mentions of adult themes.

**

* * *

6. Truth Hurts

* * *

**

"Please… please don't hurt me."

The voice was croaking and rough, barely a whisper through ragged breaths. Chad was curious to see the state of its owner. But he soon thought better of it. He had other things to focus on.

"I-I'm sorry!"

He was keeping watch. For Damon. He'd broken the promise he'd made to Troy two weeks ago. The allure of adventure had become too much for him to deny. When Damon called him to ask for another favour, he simply couldn't resist. In fact, these 'favours' were becoming more and more frequent. Almost daily.

So here he was. Leaning up against a grimy brick wall in an alley that smelt of damp. It was late, dark. And a few feet behind him, on the other side of the wall, was Damon and a few of his friends. They were 'teaching a guy a lesson'.

Chad didn't know what the guy had done and it didn't occur to him to ask. He never saw, only heard. He liked it that way. He wanted to retain some detachment from the whole thing because, as exciting as it was, there was always a constant plaguing from his conscience. Something in the back of his mind told him that this was wrong. Deep in his heart he knew that he was going down a road that he should probably avoid.

"No! No! Please don't!"

There was such desperation there. That of someone who feared for their life. Chad suddenly felt a little more wary of what he was involved in. He put his hands in his pockets and surveyed the street again. There wasn't a person in sight. No movement. No witnesses. Perfect.

Almost perfect.

Across the road, barely illuminated by a flickering streetlamp, was the silhouetted outline of a man. Chad's heart started to thump fiercely against the walls of his chest. He told himself not to panic, it was probably just a passing pedestrian, but the figure did not move along. Their eyes were not visible but it was clear that they were looking his way. And then they were reaching into their pocket, producing what could only be a cell phone. They dialled and brought the phone to their ear. And Chad knew he had to get out. They were calling the cops. He was sure of it.

Not sparing a moment to consider his options, he instantly pushed himself off the brick wall and walked quickly to where he could hear Damon's voice. What he saw was like nothing he'd imagined. It was the blood that hit him first. It assaulted his senses. The metallic smell overpowered the pungent scent of urine and sweat. The shocking liquid glistened on the floor and walls where it had splattered like and explosion of crimson.

And then the body.

The young man was slumped on the floor. Motionless but not dead. His wilting body was propped up on his shaky arms, his bare elbows digging into the concrete. His eyes were wide and full of plea as he stared up at the four youths that surrounded him. One in particular. This one had a gun. And its barrel was pressed firmly to his sweaty brow.

Chad decided to ignore the appalling scene in front of him. Just for now. He could ask questions later. Now they needed to escape. "Guys!" He said, catching everyone's attention. They all turned to him with surprise, but the one with the gun didn't lower his weapon. "We gotta get out of here." He let his gaze flicker to the floor-bound teen who now peered right at him. His facial expression was unreadable. Chad only hoped that it was gratitude and not disgust or fear.

"What's going on?" The tallest of the group spoke harshly, clearly not pleased with being disturbed.

"No time." Chad explained. The urgency in his tone must have been convincing enough because all four of the gang, and even the guy on the floor, were instantly alert. They gazed at him expectantly, hanging on every word. "Let's go." And, as if on cue, police sirens began to sound in the not-too-faraway distance. They did the only thing they could do. They ran.

Half an hour later, the buzz of adrenaline still hadn't totally worn off. The five of them were crammed quite uncomfortably into a small car; two in the front and Chad, Damon and a boy with a garish scar across his cheek in the back. Aside from the crackly AC, the car was silent. Chad had expected loud, bumping music like you always saw in those ghetto movies, but he supposed they didn't want to attract any attention to themselves. They were on the run after all.

The police had never come near them and the sirens had quickly subsided but Chad still felt on-edge. He'd never been in a situation like that and such a close brush with the law had been a reality check. He could have been caught. Arrested. He'd done nothing wrong but they wouldn't believe that. His parents wouldn't believe that. His friends. School. They'd all see him as a criminal. His life would never be the same. And for what? For some random guy he didn't even know? Was it worth it?

"What did he do?" Chad asked. He had to know.

After a short delay, Damon turned to him as if not hearing the question. "Huh?"

"That guy you were…" Chad didn't want to relive it, instead allowing himself to trail off. "What did he do? Why-?"

Damon seemed reluctant to answer and the rest of the car remained silent. To Chad's left, the dude with the scar pulled a thick cigarette- that he had clearly rolled himself- from behind his ear. He popped it in his mouth but made no move to light it. "He took something that didn't belong to him." He said bluntly in a voice so deep that it seemed to make the entire vehicle vibrate.

"We weren't gonna kill him." Damon chimed in. He was trying to sound reassuring. It wasn't working. "He just had to learn not to mess with us."

Chad nodded but avoided Damon's gaze. He stared blankly out of the front windscreen at the blur of passing street lights. It was almost hypnotic. Calming. But Damon's voice broke him from the momentary haze.

"Take this." He said, handing Chad a dark wad of leather.

Turning it over in his hands, Chad waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the car so he could see what he was holding. "What is it?" He asked, though he could now see.

"Your reward." Damon announced proudly.

It was a wallet. The wallet of the defenceless guy who they'd been beating minutes before. Holding it, Chad felt almost repulsed. He wanted to toss it onto the floor. But his hands disobeyed him. Instead he found himself opening the wallet, sifting through the multitude of notes and regarding the few credit cards. Suddenly the guilt didn't seem so bad. There was a lot of money in there. And it wasn't like he didn't deserve it….

* * *

Gabriella scrawled a few hurried notes on a page already chaotic with scribbled equations. She allowed a small smile of triumph to grace her face as the answer she'd spent forever calculating finally fell into place. There was nothing quite as satisfactory as knowing she was right, even if it did make her a freaky-math-girl.

"So, you're saying it's… 16 _over _pi?"

Gabriella looked up from the sheet of paper on her lap to gaze across her bedroom at her best-friend. Sat on the floor on the far side of the room surrounded by heaps of books, Taylor was munching pensively on the end of her pencil and staring at the question sheet in front of her with a mixture of anguish and confusion.

"Yeah," Gabriella started to explain. "If you just-."

Taylor raised a weary hand to stop her and shook her head. "I don't get it." She sighed, crawling clumsily to her feet in an attempt to avoid stepping on the many homework sheets that littered the ground. "Can we take a break?" The question was rhetorical, as she was already crossing the room to take a seat beside Gabriella on the bed.

Her fatigue was noticeable and Gabriella instantly found herself concerned for her close friend. "Tired?" She asked gently.

Taylor nodded and slowly lowered herself so she was lying on her back. "Always…" She exhaled.

She'd never felt so exhausted. No matter how much she slept- and she couldn't sleep much with all that was on her mind- she'd always wake up feeling just as tired as she had been before going to bed. Her eyes were sore. Her whole body ached. And her mind felt like it was about to crack. It was too much. It was all just too much.

"Tay?"

Until now, Taylor hadn't even realised she was crying. The tears were trickling silently down her cheeks and onto Gabriella's blanket. She scrubbed at them with the back of her hand and sat up sharply, turning her head away from Gabriella with shame.

"Taylor, what's wrong?" Gabriella persisted. She very rarely saw Taylor cry. And never had it been so out of the blue. Now she was full of worry. And a tinge of guilt. Something was very wrong with her best-friend. She should have pushed the matter sooner, got to the bottom of it, instead of letting Taylor fall deeper into this evident depression. She felt selfish because she'd spent so much time thinking about herself. About the situation with Asher- who still frequently called and left tiresome voicemail messages. She failed to see the crumbling stability of her closest friend.

Taylor buried her face in her hands. "I've ruined everything." She sobbed, her words muffled in her palms.

"What do you mean?" Gabriella was pleading now, laying a hand softly on Taylor's back. "Please, Taylor." She felt like she was on the verge of tears herself. "Talk to me."

There was a pause, filled with only the sound of Taylor sniffling, before she finally spoke up. Even then, her voice was almost inaudible. "It's different for you and Troy." She remarked glumly. "You're so…perfect. But Chad-…" Just the mention of his name sent her off again. Her body shook as another round of sobs escaped her. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Do about what?" Gabriella had an idea of what Taylor could be talking about. She'd suspected it all along. But surely not. Not Taylor. She wouldn't. "You can tell me."

Taylor raised her head from her hands and turned to Gabriella, gazing deep into her eyes as if to assess the truth in her statement. Then, with a dismal sigh, she buried her face in Gabriella's shoulder and allowed a trembling whimper. Gabriella wrapped her arms around her and rocked gently back and forth.

Then Taylor finally told the truth.

"I'm pregnant." She whispered.

This time, Gabriella wasn't so pleased about being right.

* * *

Troy had gone to Gabriella's house intending on whisking her away on a romantic night out. He felt they'd grown a little distant recently and wanted nothing more than to rekindle the passion they had always had. Unfortunately, his plan to surprise her backfired as he was met by her mother instead who informed him that Gabriella was spending her Saturday studying with Taylor. Typical.

Feeling strangely crestfallen, Troy set out on his long-ish walk home, hands in the pockets of his jeans and shoulders hanging low. He'd only taken a couple of steps before he was stopped in his tracks.

"Asher?"

If he hadn't known any better, Troy would have thought that the boy on the other side of the road had been attempting to walk by unnoticed. He'd turned his head at an odd angle as if trying to hide his face and was walking at an uncomfortably brisk pace. And when he heard Troy call out his name, he hesitated to stop, eventually slowing his pace and turning with an obscure reluctance.

"Asher, hey!" Troy waved while mustering a friendly but suspicious smile. Something didn't feel right about this situation. Something simply didn't sit well in the pit of his stomach. It seemed an unusual coincidence to run into the boy, especially here, so close to Gabriella's house.

Asher's smile was tight, forced. And, as Troy approached him, he almost seemed nervous as his gaze darted around continuously.

"What're you doing round here?" Troy asked when he had reached his new friend. "I thought you lived-"

"Yeah." Asher interrupted, nodding quickly. "Was just passing through really." He explained unconvincingly. "Just…" He shrugged. "Yeah, just passing through." He allowed his eyes to wander, looking fed up and eager to end the conversation.

Troy wasn't keen on chit-chat either, especially with Asher- who he felt an increasing amount of dislike towards. However, there was still something irking him and he felt the need to get to the bottom of it. He knew it was about Gabriella. "Is something wrong, Asher?" He asked with a frown.

"What?" The shifty boy replied, instantly defensive. "No, why? Has she said something?"

What an odd question. Troy's frown deepened. "Gabriella? No, why would she?" When Asher failed to answer, Troy found himself close to the end of his tether. He didn't like secrets. And Gabriella was definitely keeping something from him. Something about Asher.

For a brief second, a crazy thought flashed through his mind. Asher and Gabriella… But, no. Never. Though, it would explain the weird behaviour…

"Tell me what's going on." Troy demanded. It must have come out more viciously than he'd intended because Asher flinched.

"Dude, I can't help it if she likes me." He said hurriedly.

Troy narrowed his eyes. "She doesn't _like _you!" He said incredulously, almost laughing at the absurdity of it.

These words made something in Asher click. Gone was the shy and cowering boy, in his place a stubborn, certain and cocky one. His back straightened and he cast a look of pity and disgust at Troy. "You're sure about that?"

His condescending tone angered Troy. He too squared up and faced Asher unfalteringly. "I am." He growled through gritted teeth. "I'm her boyfriend. And I'd appreciate if you stayed away from her."

"Her boyfriend?" Asher let out a smug chuckle.

Troy clenched his fists. He'd never felt such an urge to punch someone. But he wouldn't give Asher the satisfaction of reducing him to violence. At the same time, his new enemy had a confidence and surety that made Troy feel somewhat threatened. Asher hadn't a leg to stand on- his statement was so farfetched- yet he seemed totally certain of himself. Could he really just be bluffing?

"So, tell me Troy," Asher continued. "If you're her boyfriend, why did she kiss me?"

* * *

**A/N: **Oh dear, oh dear! I hope the wait was worth this chapter, a lot of work went into it. Thanks a lot to the readers and reviewers who've put up with my slack updates recently. Seeing as I'm back at school as of tomorrow and exams start in three days, I'm afraid to say the delays may well continue. Appreciation anyway to the following for reviewing;

**chaylorfan4eve1995****, ****LadiiSmoothCriminalz****, ****ChaylorTwilightQueen10****, ****chaylorXtraylorlover****, Nicole, ****pumpkinking5****, ****pamylz****, ****sd freek**_**and**_** 2PINKSTAR. **Your input is always helpful and encouraging so keep it coming!

I'll strive to update within the week but until then let me know what you think of Bad!Chad, Taylor's well overdue confession and Asher's shocking news (how will Troy react) ?!

_**xX M Xx**_


	8. I Know What You Did

**Playing With Fire**

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**Summary: **One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that none of them could imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk.

**Pairings: **Chaylor, Troyella.

**Warnings: **Possible mild language, violence, mentions of adult themes.

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* * *

7.** **I Know What You Did

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Troy couldn't sleep. All night, he stirred in his bed, perturbed by thoughts of Asher. Asher and Gabriella. His mind was in a constant battle against itself as one half of his logic tried to convince him that it must have been a lie and the other half was wracked with scepticism and suspicion. He trusted Gabriella. He hated himself for doubting her. But there was a part of him that he tried to suppress that _knew _that his distrust was called for. The signs had been staring him in the face for the past two weeks. He'd noticed, but tried to ignore them, hoping it would all just go away…

Why was he thinking like this? Gabriella would never do something like that to him. They loved each other. She was the most honest, loyal person he knew. She wouldn't cheat.

When Sunday morning finally rolled around, Troy considered it a blessing. He finally had an excuse to get out of bed. It didn't matter that it was still early. Within half an hour of leaving his mattress, he was on Gabriella's doorstep. He rang the bell many more times than was necessary and didn't stop until he was finally greeted by the sight of his dishevelled girlfriend in her dressing gown.

She stood at the doorway, rubbing her eyes, having clearly just woken up. Her hair was a mess, and her dressing gown was tied in a wonky fashion. Yet, to Troy, she still looked stunning. For just a second, when she smiled upon realising who she was addressing, Troy forgot why he'd come over in the first place. But only for a second.

"Troy." She continued to grin, pleasantly surprised and no longer bothered by being hastily dragged out of bed.

He scratched his ear, gave her a curt nod of the head, then made his way past her and into the house without a word. Gabriella shut the door behind him and followed him into the living room where he walked to the sofa but didn't sit.

"Is everything alright?" She asked. She stayed at a distance on the other side of the room. Troy's unusual behaviour was slightly distressing and his unexpected arrival had gone from a romantic surprise to a nerve-racking mystery.

He began to pace back and forth the small distance between the sofa and the coffee table. "I saw Asher yesterday." He told her, taking a moment to drag his gaze from the floor to her face to assess her reaction. It wasn't encouraging. Her skin visibly paled.

Biting down on her bottom lip, Gabriella tried to remain calm. But the cat was already out the bag. Troy knew. She knew he knew. "What did he say?"

"He told me you and him kissed." Troy said, the words repulsing him, even as he spoke them.

Gabriella could do nothing but stay silent. She could barely breathe, let alone talk. This was bad. This was so very, very bad. To Troy, his girlfriend's speechlessness spoke volumes. Devastating volumes. He felt his heart deflate and wanted to crumble to the floor right there and then.

"I guess it's true then." He said bitterly.

Gabriella crossed the room so she could stand right in front of him, desperate to force him to look at her. "It was nothing." She assured him frantically. "Really. Just an accident."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Troy let his gaze fix on her bare feet. Her toes in the carpet with their shimmering purple nail-polish.

"Because it didn't mean anything." She tried to explain but struggled to put into words what she'd rationalised in her head. "I didn't want you worrying about it. I didn't think you'd understand."

Troy looked into her eyes but couldn't stand what he saw. His eyes returned to their previous position, but this time only looked at the carpet. "So you didn't trust me to believe you? Why?"

She didn't have an answer to that one. It bothered her. "I don't know." She should have trusted him. What did that say about their relationship?

"You don't know…" Troy repeated her words harshly, though he seemed far more upset than angry. "Neither do I." He said regretfully. "And that's not enough." This cryptic statement was the last thing to pass his lips before he headed to the front door and exited without looking back.

* * *

Chad brought the cigarette to his lips and inhaled a long, deep drag, delighting in the sensation as the thick smoke filled his lungs. It felt good, warming. Yet it stung the back of his throat. He was used to that now. He held the lungful of smoke for a while before leaning out of his open bedroom window and blowing it out into the fresh air. It was like releasing all his anxieties and watching them blow away on the wind.

As he prepared to take another puff, there was a knock at his bedroom door. He panicked. If his parents caught him smoking, he was dead. He stubbed the cigarette on the windowsill and tossed it out into the backyard. He shut the window. Grabbed a nearby can of deodorant and sprayed it around generously. Then he sat down on the edge of his bed and grabbed a sports magazine in an attempt to look like he'd been doing something.

"Come in." He called out.

The door opened at once and his mother poked her head in. "There's someone here to see you." She told him, taking a moment to sniff the air curiously before disappearing. In her place stood someone Chad least expected to see.

Taylor. She walked in, her face showing confidence, her feet showing apprehension, a large plastic box in her hands. It looked heavy and Chad instinctively rushed to her to take it. For a second they stood face to face, their hands touching on the handles of the box. Then she pulled away.

"I thought you'd want your stuff back." She said. Here eyes flickered between his face and the floor.

Chad said nothing and carried the box to his bed. "Thanks." He spoke quietly, secretly devastated. When he saw her, he'd sort of hoped… But returning his belongings was like drawing a line under their relationship. A line that spoke loud and clear. They were over. "I don't think I have anything of yours." That was a lie. He had one of her t-shirts at the back of his wardrobe. It still held her scent. He was keeping it.

Her job was done, but Taylor refrained from leaving. Her real intention today, the real reason she was here, was to tell him about the pregnancy. But how was she supposed to do that? Just come out and say it? She'd felt better after telling Gabriella. But this was a different story. Chad's reaction was everything.

She'd wait, she thought. She'd stall for a bit, get her thoughts together. Her one rule was that she couldn't leave Chad's house today without having told him. "D'you want some help unpacking it all?" She offered, crossing the room to stand beside him. Unintentionally, she stopped so close at his side that their shoulders touched. She felt him look at her but kept her eyes fixed on the box.

"Sure." He said, the surprise evident in his voice.

He started to pull random items out of the box and toss them carelessly onto his bed. Taylor did the same. Every once in a while, their hands would brush. A millisecond of bliss as they sorted through Chad's miscellaneous things; a baseball cap, magazines, CDs, socks, a stuffed animal…

"You can keep this." Chad said softly, holding the fluffy giraffe out to Taylor.

She seemed hesitant to take it as if such an offer was unheard of, but eventually relented. "You sure?" She asked, unconsciously clutching the teddy to her. Her fingers brushed through its soft fur. It made her feel warm inside.

Chad nodded. "It was yours anyway." He told her. "I won it for you, remember?"

She remembered. That date. The summer sun setting, turning the sky a luscious orange. The funfair was almost empty, the young punters heading home for the night. But Chad insisted on dragging Taylor to a stall where you threw plush basketballs into tiny hoops. She'd never forget how determined he was. He scored every one. He let Taylor pick their prize. They named the giraffe Galileo.

A fond smile now showed on both of their faces as they simultaneously reminisced. Those were better times…

"Chad, I have to tell you something."

The happiness of their memories had restored confidence in Taylor. She trusted the love they'd once shared and remembered why she'd always believed in Chad. Why she_ still_ believed in Chad. He had a kind heart. No matter what, he would stick by her.

Chad turned to her, and the concern on his face was all the more encouraging. "What's wrong?" He placed a hand on her arm and stared into her eyes with commanding care.

"Nothing." She shook her head. "I don't think-… I don't- I don't know." This was a lot harder than the speech she'd rehearsed all the way here. "It's not '_wrong'_ but…" She sighed. Recomposed. She was ready. It was simple. Just say it. "I'm pre-"

Chad's ringtone cut through her sentence with harsh brutality. He glanced at her apologetically and pulled his cell from his back pocket. Having checked the caller ID on the screen, Chad answered instantly.

"D, I'm kinda busy-" He smiled guiltily at Taylor.

She crossed her arms with impatience. She'd been so close. Now, that spontaneous confidence was gone.

"Why?" Chad continued. "Wh-… Is something wrong? Did I do something?" He paused and began chewing nervously on his nails. Then a smile lit up his face. "Really? Yeah, yeah. Alright, I'll be there." He hung up and looked back at Taylor.

"Uh…" He shuffled awkwardly. "Look, I'm really sorry but I've gotta head out."

Taylor nodded, wanting to cry. Chad priorities had just become very clear. The notion that he'd stick by her no matter what had proved itself wrong. "Right." She said brightly, trying not to sound bothered. "Yeah, no, of course. You- you go."

Chad pursed his lips guiltily but hurried away still. This was important. Damon had called to tell him that Trevor was impressed with his recent contributions to the gang. That was big. Trevor was the top dog. He was the unofficial boss of Chad's neighbourhood. And he wanted to see Chad to welcome him into the gang.

As bad as he felt about it, Taylor could wait.

* * *

Troy had turned his phone off. Gabriella knew because every time she tried to call him it went straight to voicemail. And she'd called him a lot. It was night now. She'd spent half the day fretting, hoping he'd come back, they'd sort it out. By noon, when none of the above had happened, she started ringing him. At first he just allowed it to ring. Eventually he turned his phone off completely.

Gabriella wasn't even surprised. She'd know all along that this would happen. From the very second that Asher's lips touched hers she could see how it was destined to end. This outcome was far from inevitable though. If she'd just been honest with Troy from the start then it wouldn't have been blown so disastrously out of proportion.

Exasperated, Gabriella decided it was about time she went to sleep. Things would be better in the morning. She hoped. Monday had a certain promise that made her feel like everything would get sorted out, one way or another. So, she hopped up from the rug on which she sat in the centre of her bedroom and switched on the stereo.

The lyrics filled her mind with anything but the thoughts of Troy and Asher and she was soon dancing around the room like a child. As she swayed and spun, a smile on her face, she removed her clothes in preparation for her pyjamas. But, by the time she was down to her undies, something just didn't feel right.

Her dancing slowed. She felt self-conscious. As if the room was suddenly full of people. She hurried to her wardrobe and threw on an oversized t-shirt before travelling to the window to shut the curtains.

There was someone in the backyard.

She caught just a glimpse. It was dark. It could have just been a shadow. Must have been. But there was movement. A person. In the garden. Watching her.

Gabriella was terrified. She snatched the curtains in both hands and flung them shut. She made sure there were no gaps. Then she rushed to her bed and climbed in, pulling the duvet right up to her chin. She didn't turn the light off. She couldn't. She even considered calling her mum from downstairs. But it was probably nothing. And if there _was _someone, they'd be gone by now.

God, the thought of it. A person watching her. She felt exposed. Violated. There was no way she was sleeping tonight.

* * *

**A/N: **Much love to the people who are still reviewing despite my unreliable-ness. It's nice to see new names added to the list of readers as well as the regular ones that return and leave their opinions each time! Keep it up people, I love it.

**Pamylz, pumpkinking5, chaylorXtraylorlover, LadiiSmoothCriminalz, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, HSMtwilightLOVER, anonymus123** and the latest person to discover my story **Team-Jacob10244**- I'm glad you're enjoying it!

So we finally got our Troyella confrontation! I know it wasn't overly dramatic but I really don't see Troy getting all shout-y about it, do you? Don't be afraid to tell me if you think differently. And a Chaylor moment because I simply couldn't resist. I've kept them apart for far too long. The ending of this chap was kinda creepy :P Can you imagine seeing someone staring at your bedroom window at night?! OMG I'd actually die! And A little teaser for anyone that's bothered to read this far… Next chap; Troyella continue their discussion- but will it lead to reconciliation or will it just make things worse?

_**xX M Xx**_


	9. Can Of Worms

**Playing With Fire

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**Summary: **One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that none of them could imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk.

**Pairings: **Chaylor, Troyella.

**Warnings: **Possible mild language, violence, mentions of adult themes.

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8. Can of Worms

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It was early. Gabriella was always early. She arrived at school with at least half an hour to spare everyday, just to get her bearings, organise her things and prepare herself for the day ahead. There was rarely anyone around at this time. The staff, of course, but other than them there was only a handful of pupils in the entire building. She liked it that way. It was peaceful, so different in comparison to when it was totally thriving with student life. And she felt welcome in the stark silence.

Well, she usually did. Not today. Today it was overbearing, threateningly present. The emptiness of each corridor hung over her like a daunting peril and she felt unjustifiably uneasy. She'd barely slept last night, the image of the shadowy figure in her garden imprinted on her mind. She tried to convince herself it was nothing but to no avail. She was traumatized.

A few more people had arrived at school now and the building was waking up. Gabriella decided to make her premature way to homeroom to pass the time in a more comfortable space and perhaps get some work done. The classroom was usually empty still at this time in the morning, but there was one person sitting at a desk on the back row.

Troy's head was down as he deeply examined the words on the page that lay on his table. Surely a homework sheet that had been due many weeks earlier. He looked up sharply when he heard Gabriella enter. Then struggled to decide whether to look away or keep staring at her.

He wasn't still angry. But hurt. Confused. He'd seen all the missed calls she'd left him. He felt bad. She cared and he didn't doubt that. But at the time he didn't want to speak to her and say something in the heat of the moment that he'd regret. It was always just easier to avoid things than deal with them.

"Can we talk?" Gabriella said, slowly nearing Troy.

He let his eyes drift back to the question page but nodded and felt distantly pleased when Gabriella dragged her seat to be opposite him.

"Look," She said forwardly, having thought about what she was going to say all morning. "I should have told you, I know that. But I was scared." She admitted. "Scared of losing you."

Troy looked up at her and her eyes spoke honesty and sincerity. "But if you'd told me the truth, I would have understood." He assured her, still wondering why she wouldn't trust him.

"I know. I know that now." She sighed and lay her hands on his table. "I feel so stupid." Troy could see she was telling the truth. She seemed so full of regret, she could barely hold his gaze.

"Don't." Troy smiled stiffly and placed a hand on top of hers. He didn't like seeing her so torn-up, especially because of him. Her apology was heartfelt and he didn't find it hard to forgive her. "I think I overreacted." He added with a quiet chuckle, but Gabriella didn't seem to agree. "What?"

Gabriella looked him in the eye with uncertainty. Was he overreacting? Was she making this into a bigger deal than it actually was? "I think Asher's a little bit…infatuated." She admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing really but," she paused to consider her next words. Troy had already unconsciously tightened his grip on her hand and she could see the unimpressed look in his eyes. "He keeps messaging me," She said, trying to make it sound like nothing. "And calling. And last night I thought-" No. Troy didn't need to know about that. It was nothing and telling Troy would make it something. "Never mind."

Troy frowned. "Go on." He urged with curiosity.

Gabriella hesitated. She felt like she was about to open a can of worms.

"No more secrets Gabi." Troy continued firmly.

"It was probably just my imagination." Gabriella told him coolly. "I mean, he can't be _that _interested. But I thought I saw someone in my backyard."

Troy's eyes widened so far that they looked as though they might pop out. "Are you serious?" He asked with shocked disbelief.

"But, like I said," Gabriella quickly added. "It was probably my imagination."

If it wasn't for his girlfriend's blasé attitude towards the whole thing, Troy would have absolutely gone mad. The idea that someone would watch Gabriella from her own backyard was sickening. But, because Gabriella seemed unperturbed by it, he assumed that she was right and it was nothing more than her imagination. He certainly hoped so.

While they'd been talking, Gabriella and Troy had barely noticed the time ticking by. Ms. Darbus had long since arrived, as had most of their classmates. The day had officially begun. The couple settled in their seats while Darbus recorded attendance and collected lunch orders, then she allowed them to begin their individual quiet tasks. It was now that Chad's absence became apparent.

Taylor tried not to worry. She wasn't supposed to care. But after that mysterious phonecall he'd received yesterday, she didn't know what her ex-boyfriend was dealing with. Something could have happened to him. Wherever he'd gone, it seemed pretty urgent. What if he hadn't come back?

The classroom door swung open and Chad sauntered in carelessly. This time, he didn't even bother to try and look innocent in order to escape a berating. He couldn't be bothered.

"Late again Mr. Danforth." Ms. Darbus called out as Chad made his way to his desk. "Why am I not surprised?"

Chad slumped down heavily in his seat. "Huh?" He asked, though he didn't really care. He leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs out.

Increasingly unimpressed, Ms. Darbus raised an eyebrow at Chad. "It's becoming somewhat of a pattern." She sighed. Chad shrugged. "And what far-fetched excuse will you treat us to this time?"

His excuse? Chad doubted she'd be pleased with the truth. The truth was; he was hung-over. After the good news the day before, when Trevor officially invited him into the gang, Chad had gone to celebrate with Damon and few of the other boys. They were refused entry to every bar they came across, so eventually they just bought a load of alcohol, went to the park and got unfathomably drunk. Chad couldn't remember most of the things that happened that night, but he also couldn't remember the last time he'd had such uninhibited fun.

Monday morning hadn't been much of a treat though. He'd woken up in his bed, not knowing how he'd made it home, and threw up the moment he sat up. He was sweaty but cold and his heart was thumping so hard and loud. It took all his effort to move even the slightest bit. There was no way he was getting out of bed for school. But then his dad walked in, saw the puddle of vomit on the floor and lost it. He knew what his son had been up to. He was furious. Chad was forced out of bed, a physical feat, and got driven straight to school.

For that reason, he just wasn't in the mood. He scowled in response to Darbus' question and folded his arms on the table to create a pillow for his head. Then he buried his eyes in his sleeves and tried to shut out the world.

"None of that attitude Chad," Came the shrill voice of Ms. Darbus. Chad wanted to kill himself. "Or maybe you'd like to explain your tardiness to Mr. Matsui. And get your head off the table please."

Chad sat up straight, a grimace on his face. By now the whole room was captivated by Chad's unusual manners. He was a cheeky boy, sure, but he never misbehaved with such a serious and sour approach. Darbus too seemed almost shocked by the behaviour of one of her typically chipper students, but she had a class to organise and decided to linger on the matter no longer.

She began to read out a list of announcements and Chad allowed himself to recline in his seat once again. He pulled out his cell-phone when his pocket vibrated and found that he'd received a text from one of the guys. His name was Aaron and he needed Chad to deliver something for him. It sounded exciting.

Ms. Darbus cleared her throat to get Chad's attention. He'd not noticed that she was now standing right beside him. Everyone else in the room was staring. Darbus seemed to have reached the end of her tether. She held out a bucket full of confiscated items and glared at Chad expectantly.

"I believe you're familiar with the rules regarding cell-phones in class."

She wasn't getting his phone. First of all, Chad was halfway through replying to the message, he didn't want to lose all that progress. And secondly, he'd only just got this phone, no-one else's hands were touching it. Instead, he stared back at Darbus for a while, silently daring her to challenge him. Then, he returned his attention to the large touch-screen of his cell and continued writing out the text message.

The room, which had been home to a few whispers and some shuffling, now fell totally silent with shock. No-one disobeyed a direct order from a teacher. Especially not a senior. Gabriella and Troy exchanged looks of utter bewilderment while Taylor tried desperately to seem unfazed.

"You've already got a 20 minute detention; do you want me to make it half an hour?" Darbus raised her voice, placing the bucket on Chad's desk so she could put both hands on her hips. "I'll give you five seconds to reconsider the decision you're making and then-"

She was cut off mid-sentence as Chad rose quickly from his seat. There was a mutual gasp throughout the room and Darbus jumped back slightly before attempting to hide the fact she was cowering. Chad stood over her, gazing almost threateningly into her eyes. His fists were clenched and it seemed very probable that he would hit her.

"Forget it." He said calmly, turning away from her to pick up his bag. "I'm done with this place."

He started towards the door but Troy grabbed his arm as he passed. "Dude." He said in a hushed voice, still somewhat stunned and extremely concerned.

Chad forced a smile. "I'll see you later." He said simply, then he was out the door.

It was the gossip of the day. Perhaps even the biggest news of the whole semester. Chad had dropped out. _Everyone _was talking about it.

Taylor wanted the world to just shut up. It was too much to digest. She didn't want to think about him. She didn't like what he'd become. She sort of blamed herself. If they were still together she'd have talked some sense into him a long time ago.

In an attempt to avoid the constant tittle-tattle of scandal regarding her ex, Taylor had gone to the school library after lunch for her free periods. She'd had enough with the questions. People assumed she knew what was going on because she and Chad were close. They used to be close. Now she had no idea what was going on with him. Her plan for privacy backfired however when Gabriella knew exactly where to find her.

"You've been quiet today." Gabriella said, taking a seat beside her best-friend.

Taylor looked at her and shut her book. She knew she and Gabriella would get no studying done now. "I can't believe Chad did that." She thought aloud. "Do you think he's really gone?"

"I don't know." Gabriella said. She didn't want to lie. But the look on Taylor's face made her reconsider. "He wouldn't…" She trailed off, not certain of her own words.

"He's changed, Gabi." Taylor shook her head, clearly agitated. All the build-up of thoughts was finally coming out. She couldn't stop it. "I saw him on Sunday." She continued. "He'd been smoking. His room's full of new clothes and shoes. I don't know where all the money's coming from." She took a deep breath to recompose herself. "Don't think I want to know…" She added pensively.

Gabriella tried to let the hurried rush of words sink in. She struggled to make sense of it all but one factor of Taylor's rant stood out to her. "Wait, you went to see him?"

Taylor nodded.

"And…?" Gabriella pushed.

"And what?"

She rolled her eyes. "Did you tell him?" She asked.

Taylor looked away and began fidgeting with her book. "I tried but he had to leave."

When she glanced back at her friend, Taylor found that Gabriella had a suspicious look in her eyes. Doubtful. It was irritating.

"I tried!" Taylor insisted.

"Shhh!" The librarian called out.

Gabriella lowered her voice to a near-whisper. "Have you even decided what you're gonna do?"

Taylor said nothing. She didn't want to make decisions. This was the biggest thing that had ever happened to her. Any choice would drastically alter her future. She couldn't just 'decide' one day. There was no solution.

"You don't have time to-"

"It's hard, Gabriella." Taylor interrupted. This wasn't the kind of thing she wanted to hear. She wanted encouragement, advice. "You wouldn't understand." She muttered.

Gabriella was hurt by that. It pained her to know how distant she had become from her best friend. But she mainly hurt because it was true. "You're right." She said solemnly. "I don't understand." But then she was angry. She wasn't used to things not making sense. Taylor was supposed to make sense. Taylor had always been the constant, the person she relied on to be logical and right all the time.

"I don't understand how someone as smart as you can get pregnant in high school." She continued, disliking the bitterness in her voice but doing nothing to get rid of it. "I don't understand how you're almost a month and a half along and you still haven't got a plan. I mean, what do you think is gonna happen?" She didn't give Taylor a chance to answer. "It's just gonna sort itself out for you? Please, explain it to me 'cause I have no clue what's going through your head right now."

Silence.

Taylor just looked at Gabriella. She looked at her like one would look at a stranger. No, worse; an enemy. Her eyes narrow and her mouth twisted into a sour glower. "God, I knew you'd be like this." She said quietly.

"Like what? Concerned?" Gabriella replied. "I care about you, Tay. I just don't want to see you ruining your life."

"That's what you think I'm doing?" Those words had struck a nerve in Taylor.

Gabriella didn't say a thing.

"Wow." Taylor let out a mirthless chuckle. She stood from the table and gathered her books before turning back to Gabriella. "Well thanks for your support." She said sarcastically. "I'm glad I know where we stand."

**

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A/N: **No, I'm not dead, just crappy when it comes to regular updates. Exams… ugh. Nuff said. Thanks, as per, to my beautiful reviewers, one in particular- **OlympicBeliever** who left a helluva lot of reviews! Thanks a bundle :D And everyone else who I love just as much; **LadiiSmoothCriminalz, Lexi, LizArchibald, AerisTifaYuffie, pumpkinking5, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, pamylz, Team-Jacob10244 **and** chaylorXtraylorlover!**

Oh and** LadiiSmoothCriminalz- **You asked about Sharpay, I would have replied in a PM but I think this question may be on a lot of people's minds. She makes quite an appearance in the next chapter. That's all I'mma say so just stay tuned :D Okay… I'm also gonna say that the next chap is a lil bit exciting :P It'll be called 'Party Time' so let your imaginations run wild with that one.

**Also…. **Chaylor fans this bit's for you! Like Gabriella, I'm sure you#re waiting in sweet anticipation for Chad to finally bloody find out already and all of your suggestions have been really good; some sweet, some intriguing, all very interesting. I can assure you that he _will _find out. In due time. But how? You'll have to wait and see ;)

_**xX M Xx**_


	10. Party Time

**Playing With Fire  


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**Summary: **One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that none of them could imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk.

**Pairings: **Chaylor, Troyella.

**Warnings: **Possible mild language, violence, mentions of adult themes.

**

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9. Party Time

* * *

The party was absolute chaos.

You could hear the music on the other side of the neighbourhood. In the house, the bass of each song was so loud that it reverberated in people's chests with a force strong enough to set their hearts in an unsteady rhythm. The front door was wide open, letting in anyone and everyone- and it seemed 'everyone' had decided to attend because the already small and worn out house was fit to burst. Moving freely was impossible. You couldn't step to either side without ending up pressed against a stranger. The floor was sticky and slippery with spilt drinks. The air was thick with smoke. Not the legal kind of smoke either… There was a distinct smell of strong alcohol, sweat and marijuana.

To say that they didn't fit in would be the understatement of a lifetime.

Troy, Gabriella, Taylor, Ryan and Sharpay had just entered and they already felt overwhelmed. Having not returned to school for over a fortnight, Chad had invited Troy to his friend's house for a 'small gathering' and Troy agreed to come as long as he could bring Gabriella and Taylor along too. Sharpay was never one to miss 'the party of the century' even if she wasn't invited and Ryan took it upon himself to accompany his sister. This was not what any of them had expected.

In a way though, Sharpay kind of liked it. It was exciting. Buzzing. A whole different universe so opposite to the usual country-club parties she usually went to. She was intent on experiencing every second to the fullest. While the others shuffled through the sardine-like crowd like wary, awkward headless chickens, Sharpay swayed to the music. She found a paper cup full of a honey-coloured liquid and sniffed it. The smell was strong enough to make her gag but she put the drink to her lips anyway. It burnt her throat and made her hot all over. Her ears popped and her eyes began to water. She didn't stop until the cup was empty.

"What are you drinking?" Ryan appeared at her side, shouting in her ear in an attempt to be heard over the music. She could barely distinguish his words amidst the noise.

"Don't know!" She shrugged with a giggle, yelling back with a croaky voice. "It tasted like fire!"

Ryan looked severely unimpressed, as did the others who had materialised around him. Troy had Gabriella held close to him as if he was scared she'd get dragged away into the surge of dancing people and Taylor was constantly looking around her with paranoia.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Lighten up!" She shouted. If they were planning on putting an end to her fun, they could think again; she wasn't going to give them time to try and dissuade her from enjoying herself. She placed her empty cup in Ryan's hand and side-stepped her group of friends to merge within the crowd. Ryan shook his head with dismay.

"I don't like this." Taylor called out to Gabriella. It was too much. She could barely breathe. Everything was flashing and moving and making noise. She just wanted her bed.

Gabriella nodded and turned to Troy to ask with her eyes if they could leave. He squeezed her closer to him in way of agreement.

"But first," He said, his shout directed at all of them. "Let me find Chad." He wanted at least to have his best-friend know that he had turned up. Otherwise, all of this would have been pointless. He didn't like this new life of Chad's. It was dark and, quite frankly, it was frightening. Deep down, Troy sort of hoped that if he could find Chad he could convince his friend to come back to _their _world.

With Gabriella in tow, Troy set off on a difficult journey through the house to find the one person there that he knew. It was dark and disorientating, everyone was jumping up and down, shouting, pushing, grabbing, touching. Even though Gabriella was clinging to Troy with all the power she had in her little fists, on more than one occasion she found herself being groped by unseen hands. She felt like an object being snatched at by ravenous men who wanted nothing more than to devour her. And they were everywhere. Troy must have sensed her unease as he pulled her impossibly closer to him so that they were almost one entity walking in unison.

It took at least half an hour before they finally located Chad. He was in one of the upstairs rooms with a few other guys; lounging on a leather desk chair with a bottle of brandy in one hand and a smoking joint in the other.

Troy and Gabriella were taken aback by the sight of him. If they didn't know any better, they'd have thought they were looking at a stranger. 'Chad' had a constant grimace on his face, a dark furrow to his brow. He looked like he already belonged in this environment. And when his eyes met his best-friend, there was little familiarity.

"H-hi Chad." Gabriella waved meekly, not moving from the doorway. The five other people in the room looked at her and Troy but said nothing. Gabriella preferred the atmosphere downstairs.

Chad continued to stare at the couple for a while before taking a swig of his drink. He seemed miserable, detached. He seemed as though he'd lost the will to live. Swallowing, he offered only a nod of the head in reply.

A disappointed Troy was beginning to find it less and less likely that his friend would ever be the same. In such a short space of time he had transformed for the worse. It was devastating but most of all, it angered Troy. How could Chad abandon them like this? Treat them like strangers? They'd come to show him support and he couldn't even bother to greet them. He didn't deserve their friendship.

Troy was about to turn around and leave when someone pushed past him to get into the room. He and Gabriella staggered to the side as a short young man, who looked far too young to be there, walked straight to Chad.

"Chad." He panted, out of breath from running up the stairs. "You gotta get downstairs. Leroy's here."

That name sparked something in Chad. And everyone else in the room except Troy and Gabriella. They all got to their feet, a look of identical fury on each of their faces. It didn't take a genius to know that something bad was about to go down. Troy suddenly wished he had never come. He took Gabriella in his arms once again in a bid to protect her from the feeling of dread that was now hanging over them all.

* * *

"Hey baby." A hand slipped around Taylor's waist, drifting dangerously close to her backside. He leaned over her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder So that he could whisper in his sultry, deep voice; "Wanna dance?" His lips brushed her ear, his hot breath tickling her skin.

Something told Taylor that the attention she was getting wasn't coming from Chad. She tilted her head to find that the guy with his arms around her was someone she had never seen before. It was hard not to feel disappointed. She shuddered at the alien touch and pulled away.

He grabbed her wrist and licked his lips. "C'mon babe." He said arrogantly as Taylor eyed him with disdain. "You know you want me."

A cold chuckle bubbled in Taylor's throat. "I have a boyfriend." She lied, snatching her arm out of his hold. She gave him one last fleeting look of disgust before turning her back and walking away. She heard him cursing under his breath as she went.

Ryan sat alone on a bench on the far end of the yard. Taylor spotted him and walked over, sitting wordlessly beside him. They didn't speak for a while, just staring out at the bizarre show in front of them; drunken teens stumbling all over the place, arguments and laughter, dancing, smoking, couples, pushing, shouting, drinking.

"Great party." Ryan said sarcastically, the dull tone in his voice making it clear that he didn't want to be there.

Taylor displayed the same amount of enthusiasm. "Yeah." She sighed. For a second, she and Ryan looked at each other and shared a knowing smile, then they returned their attention to the view straight ahead.

"That dude…" Ryan began, trying to make conversation to fill the uneasy silence. "He seemed interested." He'd been watching a lot unfold from his little spot at the back of the garden. He'd seen Taylor approached by the random guy and her spurning of his advances. It was quite entertaining.

The attention she got from the attractive stranger meant nothing to Taylor. It meant nothing because it wasn't Chad. Despite the fact that he'd broken her heart, she still only wanted Chad. It didn't matter who flirted with her, who expressed interest or how good looking they were- if they weren't _him _it was hopeless. She couldn't imagine living the rest of her life without him. She couldn't see herself settling for someone else. They'd always just be second best.

Ryan could sense that he'd hit a nerve by bringing it up. Taylor's face was now solemn and her eyes had a faraway look. Out of curiosity, he had to ask; "Why did you two break up?"

"He thought it was for the best." Taylor said quietly, looking at the floor. She didn't want to admit that it was her fault. She didn't want Ryan to know that she'd pushed him away- forced him to make the inevitable decision that they should be apart.

Placing a comforting hand on Taylor's back, Ryan struggled to find anything adequate to say. "His loss, eh?" He remarked kindly.

Taylor smiled. A real smile. The kind of smile she hadn't managed for a long time. "Thanks, Ry." She said, leaning into him for a half-embrace. His arm wrapped around her shoulder and she rested her head on his chest. It felt nice to have a friend. Things with Gabriella had been on edge recently and, for the first time in a while, she just felt secure and wanted. Everything but his scent and the sound of his heartbeat disappeared. If only it could last forever…

"Hey, isn't that Sharpay?" Taylor said suddenly, sitting upright to point at a picnic table not far from them across the garden.

Ryan followed the aim of her outstretched finger to find his gaze fixed upon his twin. She was surrounded by young men who seemed captivated by her. She was clearly drunk but apparently enjoying herself as she clumsily lined up shot glasses on the wooden table in front of her.

Sharpay had never felt this good. Only snippets of her surroundings made their way into her conscious. Everything else went unnoticed. Faces, smiles swam in and out of her vision. She was sitting down but she felt like she was dancing. Every few seconds she'd find that she was swaying or singing to herself but it didn't matter; she was drunk and she knew it and she couldn't stop laughing. Plus, it got her a hell of a lot of interest from the guys at the party. She was used to having boys after her- that came with the gift of being beautiful- but these ones had a confidence she'd not experienced before. If they wanted to touch, they touched. And Sharpay didn't stop them. It made her feel special.

She grabbed one of the drinks and tipped it down her throat, the harsh taste of the vodka barely having an effect now. Then, one of the guys sitting next to her- she didn't know his name- put his arm around her. She turned to him and smiled but then somehow his lips were on hers. She didn't stop it. She draped her arms over his shoulders, clasping the back of his head clumsily in her hands and pulled him closer, letting her tongue explore his mouth.

Ryan had seen enough. He and Taylor both got to their feet as soon as they saw Sharpay initiate the kiss. They were crossing the garden, ready to talk some sense into the girl who was clearly too inebriated, but they didn't even make it halfway. Out of nowhere, Chad appeared like a bolt of lightning. He grabbed the guy from behind and pulled him backwards, leaving a stunned Sharpay in his wake.

With the larger, muscled boy on the floor, Chad had an advantage over him and took it without hesitation. He pounced on him and began to throw as many forceful punches as he could. Face, gut, over and over. People were shouting. Sharpay was screaming. But Chad only stopped when his opponent was near-unconscious.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here Leroy?" He growled, getting to his feet. The rest of his boys formed a group around him as Ryan took a sobbing Sharpay and led her away.

Leroy groaned and rolled onto his side. He was clearly in a bad way- and Chad almost felt guilty for beating him so badly- but nonetheless, the boy attempted to retain a strong composure. He propped himself up on one elbow and looked up at Chad. The grin he forced was lacking a few teeth. "Came to deliver a message." He said. "It's about time for payback. And you know why."

They were from rival gangs, Leroy and Chad, and over the years, their undeclared war had become more and more violent. They went back and forth; mugging, beating, vandalising, each attack revenge for the previous. So far, no-one had died. They were all only young after all. It wasn't serious business, but it was becoming so.

The payback Leroy was referring to was in retaliation to Trevor's gang's last act of violence. They'd intercepted a delivery of drugs to one of Leroy's men, beaten the dealer and taken a lot of money and valuable drugs. Chad failed to see how Leroy crashing a party was sufficient revenge. Unless…

Something bigger was about to happen. He had to get his friends out of there.

While Damon and some others continued to shout abuse at the still floor-bound enemy, Chad turned away in search of his friends. Thankfully, Troy was already there. He was looking at his best-friend like he didn't know him. He'd seen everything. He could barely believe it. That Chad was capable of something like that was shocking and disturbing.

Chad ignored the repulsion on Troy's face and went to stand closer to him. "You've gotta leave." He said bluntly, the command in his voice quite worrying. "All of you, get out of here."

Troy didn't hesitate. With an obedient nod he turned and rounded up the others who were waiting from a distance and began to lead them through the house towards the door from which they'd entered. The music was off now and lot of people seemed to have had the same idea and left as the rooms were no longer crowded. But just as they neared the door, a large group of people- at least twenty- rushed in. They barged them out the way, heading straight for the yard. Straight for Chad.

It took every ounce of Troy's strength not to follow them and protect his friend. But he had to get his other friends out of there. He had Gabriella to take care of. He'd go back for Chad.

There was shouting, a fight had broken out. Troy shut it out of his mind and continued to push everyone out of the door. When they were finally outside, he accepted that they were safe enough and made a quick decision.

"I'm going back in." He told them.

Ryan, who was clutching a wilting Sharpay to him shook his head. "Don't be crazy." He said.

"I won't let you." Gabriella took hold of his arm. She couldn't live with herself if she allowed him to walk back into such obvious danger.

Taylor just wrapped her arms around herself and walked a few paces away, sitting down on the curb with her back to her friends.

"Look, Chad's still in there, I have to go." He said, pulling away from Gabriella but leaning in to give her a meaningful, loving kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back soon." He hurried inside.

Save for a few people passed out on the floor and sofa and a couple making out on one of the kitchen counters, the downstairs rooms were completely empty. Either everyone had left, or they were outside. Noise from the backyard could be heard throughout the house; bottles smashing and yelling. Troy was apprehensive to become a part of it. He was almost at the backdoor but had subconsciously slowed his pace. He sort of wanted it all to end before he got there.

His wish came true. But not in the way one would have hoped.

A loud bang. A gunshot. Followed by another. Then the whole world fell silent.

**

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A/N: **Me and my cliff-hangers. Gotta love it! Many thanks to; **Team-Jacob10244, pamylz, LadiiBabiiCottonCandii990, Erieaud, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, pumpkinking5, chaylorXtraylorlover **and** OlympicBeliever** for your encouraging reviews. I hope you liked this update and will continue to read the story!

Now, I'm not gonna say much, and I don't wanna scare you... but the next chapter will be entitled 'Goodbye'. Oh, the suspense…

_**xX M Xx**_


	11. Goodbye

**Playing With Fire

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**Summary: **One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that none of them could imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk.

**Pairings: **Chaylor, Troyella.

**Warnings: **Possible mild language, violence, mentions of adult themes.

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10. Goodbye

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Troy didn't think. He sprinted out the backdoor into the garden then came to a skidding halt at the sight in front of him.

It seemed as though time had frozen. Most of the members from both gangs had fled, over the fence and through the side door, so the yard was relatively empty. The few remaining boys stood impossibly still, dotted around the patio, their gazed fixed on one thing. The ground. Not the ground itself, but what was on it.

Troy's wandering gaze found Chad right away. He was lying on his side with his back to him. He wasn't moving. Bile rose in Troy's throat and he was forced to swallow it down as he ran to his friends side. He collapsed ungracefully onto his knees once he reached him and rolled him over onto his back.

Chad's eyes were closed. Not loosely like he was asleep, but squeezed tightly shut as if he was in pain. He rolled his head to the side before letting out a groan. Relief swelled up in Troy like the spray from the sea. He almost thought he might cry. For a second he'd thought that Chad was dead.

Opening his eyes, Chad struggled to sit upright. With Troy's help, he managed, but the pain was evident on his face. He had a split lip and blood was dripping out of one of his nostrils. His whole body was shaking. But no gunshot wounds.

Troy tried to reassess his surroundings. In all his fear for Chad, he'd failed to notice something very important. The other guys hadn't been staring at Chad, their gaze was on the motionless boy beside him. Troy wondered how he hadn't noticed the bleeding form of Leroy, who lay sprawled on his back with a gaping red hole in his stomach no more than a metre away. He was dead. No doubt about it. Someone had killed him.

Troy shut his eyes, hoping that if he couldn't see it, it wouldn't exist. But when he opened them, it was all still there. So he looked into the eyes of his former best-friend, searching almost frantically for some kind of support. "What are you doing to yourself?" He asked solemnly.

Chad couldn't meet his gaze. Instead he held out a hand for Troy to help him stand. He couldn't explain any of this to Troy, mainly because he didn't understand it himself. He'd been sucked into this world and hadn't noticed how it was consuming him until it was too late. Until he was one of them. He wanted to go back. If he could go back, he'd have never made the decision that led to this. But rewinding time was impossible. There was no going back for him now.

"I miss the old Chad." Troy continued, standing opposite Chad but also struggling to maintain eye contact. He wasn't used to heartfelt truths. There was only one thing he knew for sure. "I want my brother back."

It seemed like Chad had something to say back. He opened his mouth to reply, his face softer and more sincere, bottom lip quivering. But he was cut off by the sound of sirens in the distance. So rather than speak, he did something completely out of the blue. He took Troy in his arms and held him. The hug was worth more than words. It expressed the love he couldn't describe. Troy understood. He returned the embrace. They didn't care about the odd looks they were probably getting. Because they both knew that this hug meant more than just 'I love you, man'. This hug meant goodbye. Goodbye to everything they'd known. All the good times they'd had. Chad had a new life now. This hug was the end of his old one.

"Go." Chad said simply, finally pulling out of the embrace. Again, it looked like he wanted to say more, but he couldn't muster the words.

Troy nodded and turned his back on Chad for the final time.

* * *

When Sharpay started vomiting and crying, Ryan had decided to take her home, leaving Gabriella and Taylor to wait for Troy alone. Taylor was still sitting on the curb, her knees tucked to her chest and Gabriella had gone to sit beside her.

They were silent. There was nothing to be said. There was never anything to say to each other these days. They'd lost that connection. Gabriella didn't understand Taylor anymore and Taylor didn't trust Gabriella. They were different people than they had been at the start of the year. Like Chad, they had changed, but not in a good way.

Gabriella considered trying to make conversation but could think of nothing to say. Luckily, she didn't get the chance to open her mouth. Two gunshots broke through the night and echoed down the street. Both girls were suddenly alert. It sounded like it had come from inside the house.

Acting out of instinct, Gabriella scrambled to her feet, closely followed by Taylor. But when she started towards the house, a firm grip on her arm stopped her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Taylor asked with disbelief at her friend's foolishness. "You can't go in there!"

"Troy's in there!" Gabriella replied, finding all of a sudden that she felt like crying. The thought had just occurred to her. What if Troy had been shot? What if he was dead?

Gabriella was struggling to breathe. Sweat was forming on her brow. She was hot all over. The fear deep within her boiled with each second that passed. She tried to tear herself from Taylor's grip, whimpering with despair when her friend failed to let go.

"Please, Tay!" She begged, tears forming in her eyes.

But Taylor just shook her head. "You could get yourself killed." She said, thinking logically. She wanted to rush in there too. She wanted to see Chad unhurt. But she couldn't risk her life. Nor would she allow Gabriella to do the same.

Sirens began to sound in the distance and Gabriella found herself unable to hold back the tears any longer. Taylor noticed this and pulled her best-friend into her arms, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"It'll be okay." Taylor soothed. "Troy's gonna walk through that door any second."

And Taylor was true to her word. No sooner had the words passed her lips than Troy appeared beside them, looking distractedly down the street. Gabriella threw her arms around him with a joyous laugh of relief. Troy was stiff, his mind clearly elsewhere. He pulled out of the hug and started down the road.

The girls glanced at each other and started after him. "What happened?" Gabriella asked with concern. Something _must _have happened for him to react like this. He was clearly distressed. "Troy, were those gunshots?" She continued. He didn't answer. And he was walking at a pace that they struggled to keep up with. "Please slow down!" She reached out to grab him but he was too fast.

Gabriella turned to Taylor who could only shrug as they continued to pursue Troy with difficulty.

"Tell us Troy," Gabriella called out again, begging this time. "What happened? Is Chad okay?"

Troy stopped in his tracks. The girls did the same and waited for him to turn around and face them. He did not. His back muscles were tensed and his fists clenched at his sides.

"Okay?" He asked, the word snarled through gritted teeth. "No, he's not 'okay'. None of this is '_okay'._" He snapped bitterly. He ran a hand through his hair. "We should've stopped him." He continued, more to himself than the increasingly worried girls behind him. "We saw that he was taking his life in the wrong direction. We're his friends, we should've-…" He let out a dreary sigh and started walking again.

Gabriella was right behind him. "This isn't your fault." She said, taking his arm. He bowed his head and sniffed to keep back the tears. "You tried to help him. We all did."

Taylor scoffed as she heard this. "Chad's done this to himself." She said bitterly. "We did nothing wrong. He's just turned into what he was destined to be all along." Her careless façade was so transparent that neither Troy nor Gabriella took her words into account. They could both tell that she was trying to shirk the guilt that hung over her. The guilt of driving him to this world of danger. "I'm going home." She declared flatly. She stopped on the street corner.

"I thought you were staying at mine." Gabriella said, tugging Troy's arm to get him to stop too. The three of them formed a small circle under a streetlamp.

Taylor shook her head. "I just want to go home." She said quietly. "See you later." She turned the corner and walked away on the long journey back to her house. The dark and the quiet were calming. The solitude was what she had craved all along.

Knowing that they could do nothing to stop her, the exasperated couple continued their journey home without Taylor. Gabriella already planned on calling her best-friend later on just to be sure she got back safely. But for now, it was just her and Troy. And silence.

There was a lot on both of their minds. The night had been a failure and they were equally as exhausted as each other. Bed was all they needed now. Rest from the dreariness that haunted them now on a daily basis. Talking would just be an exertion too far. In fact, neither of them spoke until the very last minute.

"Here we are." Troy announced in a tired monotone. They had stopped on the corner of Gabriella's street. He assumed she could make it the few yards home alone from there.

Gabriella stood in front of Troy and placed her hands on either side of his waist. He moved closer to her and she tucked her head under his chin. Although his arms remained at his sides, Gabriella felt as though a warmth had enveloped her and could practically sense the love radiating off him. They stayed like this for a while.

"Love you." Gabriella said, pulling back and gently brushing Troy's cheek with her hand.

Troy nodded, taking her hand in his own. "Love you more." He answered. As she walked away, he clung to her hand until the very last moment. The last pinch of her fingertips. Then he turned and walked away.

As she neared her house, Gabriella realised she had a smile on her face. Everything was a bit strained recently but being with Troy had a unique effect on her that momentarily made all the troubles in the world disappear. Momentarily. She had just reached the path to her front door when she was alerted to a noise in the darkness. Peering down the pitch black street, a figure suddenly came into focus, emerging from behind a tree.

This time, Gabriella was barely even surprised to see Asher's face. Recently, it seemed he was _always _around. Though her lack of astonishment didn't necessarily mean she wasn't angry. She was fed up. She was sick of this boy rearing his ugly head. They'd had just _one _encounter; the kiss that night, and suddenly he'd become like a bad smell that lingered long after its cause.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Asher ignored the harsh tone in her voice. He stood opposite her, a little too close for comfort, and smiled. "I came to see you." He explained with pride.

It was difficult for Gabriella not to show her shock at his statement, but she couldn't let him see how much his words affected her. Her face remained placid while, in truth, she was freaking out. He'd been camping outside her house. Waiting for her. For the off chance that he might see her. It was wrong, disgusting, scary. And she knew right then that he was the shadow she'd seen in her garden. He was stalking her.

Despite her unease in his presence, Gabriella's voice remained firm and certain. "I told you I don't want to see you."

That wasn't what Asher had wanted to hear. He rolled his eyes and tried to hide his scowl by pursing his lips. "We both know you're only saying that 'cos of Troy." He let the name roll of his tongue like poison. "When're you gonna break up with him and-"

"Asher, I don't have time for this." Gabriella said with exasperation. She looked towards her house, tempted to just walk away but Asher spoke up before she could put any more thought into it.

"Don't have time to answer my calls either." He muttered bitterly. The anger in his voice grew. "And where the hell were you tonight?" He demanded, his nostrils flaring. "Out with _him_?"

Gabriella could no longer feign disinterest. Her emotions betrayed her and showed on her face. Fear. This was beyond being an inconvenience now. It was frightening. It wasn't normal. In Asher's presence, she felt as though she was in danger.

He must have noticed the pure shock on her face because he instantly softened and sighed. "I'm sorry babe," He almost whispered, raising a gentle hand to her face. "It's just-." He stopped as she slapped his wrist away with revulsion.

"Don't touch me." Gabriella snarled. "Don't come near me." She didn't care if she was hurting his feelings. In fact, she _wanted _to. It was about time she stopped caring about him and started focussing on the negative impact he was having on her life. She finished with one final warning. It was clear enough. "If I _ever _see you again, I'm calling the police."

* * *

The house was empty now. Everything was quiet. But Chad couldn't escape the voices in his head. So, he occupied himself with trivial, unimportant things like collecting the empty beer cans off the floor and opening windows to let out the smoke. His most recent diversion was the kitchen. It was a state and he'd decided that he wouldn't let himself leave before it was back to a semi-acceptable condition.

It helped too. The scrubbing and arranging. It helped to know that there was at least one thing that he could sort out. He could get the kitchen back in order, and maybe that meant that one day he'd be able to do the same with his life. Because he surely couldn't go on like this. Someone had died. Someone only a year or so older than him had lost their life. Right in front of his eyes. The image of his corpse would haunt Chad forever.

There was a creaking sound as one of the rotting wooden doors opened and Damon entered the room. He looked at his surroundings, looked at Chad, then hoisted himself up to sit on one of the kitchen counters. "Hey." He greeted, fiddling with the many bottle tops that littered the surface he sat on.

"Crazy night, huh?" He continued when he got no reply from Chad. He let out a quiet, tired chuckle but quickly realised the inappropriateness of it and stopped himself. It was too soon. "You alright?"

It was Chad's turn to laugh. But there was no humour in it. Just sourness and disgust. "I'm not the one lying dead in the backyard." He snapped bluntly. With his back to Damon, Chad continued his meaningless pottering in cupboards; his search for a tea-towel, cloth, sponge, anything to clear this mess up.

"Actually they moved his body to-" Damon stopped as Chad shot him a silencing look. "C'mon man, don't look at me like that. All I wanted was a good night." He said genuinely. Although he wasn't new to this world of violence, a death had never occurred so close to him before. He was shaken. Disturbed. He was just better at hiding it than Chad. "Just wanted to drink a little, smoke a little, find a girl, y'know?" Chad still had his back to him but Damon continued nonetheless. "I didn't want any of this." He sighed.

Chad slammed another cupboard shut, his search for cleaning tools being fruitless. He was losing patience. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath to calm the constant jitters in his mind whilst clenching and un-clenching his fists so tightly that his nails left deep red marks in his palms. Damon didn't understand. Wouldn't. All the stuff they'd done before, it had been bad but not too serious. This was _real_. This would never go away. This would affect so many people. A few months ago, Chad would never have dreamt he'd be in a situation like this. Now, he couldn't see a way out.

Damon cleared his throat and placed himself back on the ground. "Yeah," He said gloomily. "Well whenever you decide to break your silence, Trevor wants to talk to you."

Finally, Chad's attention had been caught. He turned away from the wall to face his friend. "About what?" He asked with curious dread.

"Got another job for you I guess." Damon shrugged, heading for the door. "Something about our biggest mission yet."

**

* * *

A/N: **Where to begin! I literally cannot remember the last time I updated. I'm so sorry! Major writer's block as well as other drama… I'll try to get back on track. PLEASE keep reading and reviewing, that'll keep me going! Thank you for your patience.

_**xX M Xx**_


	12. How Things Change

**Playing With Fire

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**

**Summary: **One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that none of them could imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk.

**Pairings: **Chaylor, Troyella.

**Warnings: **Possible mild language, violence, mentions of adult themes.

**

* * *

11. How Things Change

* * *

**

From that night on, things were just different. It was a month later, March, and that feeling of hopelessness and sorrow still hung over each of them like a bad smell that they simply couldn't shake. Spring was beginning to blossom beautifully throughout Albuquerque- the majestic sun blazing light and warmth to the beautiful, colourful world below- but despite the wonderful brilliance of it all, life for a few people seemed more like a dull but uncontrollable ride that they were powerless to escape.

Things had changed. Of course they had. They were bound to. Since that night at the diner, they'd all been unaware of a shift in atmosphere; a slow, gradual downward spiral. The party had been the catalyst. The events of that night were the result of a culmination of all their mistakes. The problem was, this didn't seem to be the end. The wheel of destruction had been set in motion, and it was spinning more wildly now towards a climax that would be undoubtedly disastrous. Their overdue awareness of the impeding doom did nothing to help matters.

Most people were oblivious to this drastic change of mood; school continued as normal for the majority of students, but for Troy, Gabriella, Chad and Taylor, things could never be _normal_. Chad hadn't returned to school. Teachers had long since stopped calling his name out in classes. His peers had stopped expecting him to turn up late. Gabriella and Taylor had barely spoken to each other, both of them too stubborn to break the unexplainable rift between them. They'd lost touch and- though both of them desperately wanted their best-friend back- neither would dare take the step towards rekindling their friendship. Troy was quiet, forlorn, always wrapped up in his thoughts, staring into space and dozing off in lessons. His home life was having an impact on everything else he did with no sign of improving. None of it looked like it would get better. Not for any of them.

This particular day- a beautiful, sunny day- there would be another shift in atmosphere however. And it all started in Chemistry class, just before lunch….

"Alright." Mrs. Franklin called out abruptly, causing a few students in the silent room to jump. "Time's up. Pen's down everyone."

Obediently, everyone in the room placed their pens in front of them- Mrs. Franklin had never been the type of teacher that had to ask twice- and remained in a dread-filled silence. That test had to have been the hardest thing any of them had seen. Even Taylor and Gabriella had struggled; both of them fretting the below average grade they'd surely be getting despite their best efforts.

Mrs. Franklin began a slow walk around the room, collecting the papers wordlessly, already knowing that a majority of her pupils will have failed. She came to a sudden halt beside Taylor's desk.

"Miss McKessie," She said flatly, gazing down at her brainiest student. "It's almost 75° outside, are you not hot?"

Taylor tugged self-consciously on the sleeves of her sweater. She was more than hot. She was roasting in the thick clothes. But she had no choice but to wear them. Everything else she owned would show off her changing figure, and that would attract a lot of unwanted attention. She met her teachers gaze again and shook her head.

Narrowing her eyes, Mrs. Franklin regarded Taylor with dissatisfaction. "Don't be ridiculous." She said, and by now most of the class was watching the exchange with curiosity. "I can see you're sweating. I know it's a beautiful top but take it off."

At that instance, a bead of sweat rolled defiantly from Taylor's brow as if trying to spite her. Nonetheless, Taylor continued to shake her head and wrapped her arms firmly around her chest. "I'm not hot." She lied, not bothered by the obvious falseness of her statement.

If they weren't all paying attention before, everyone in the room now was. Taylor _never _disobeyed a direct order from a teacher. _Never. _If anything, the discussion was quite intriguing. Each student watched in silence.

Mrs. Franklin sighed a cocked her head to the side. Her patience was wearing thin. "T won't ask again." She stated simply.

"Can I please be excused?" Taylor asked out of the blue. She was already arising from her seat, her entire face now glittering with sweat. "Thank you." She said, not waiting for an answer. She rushed past Mrs. Franklin straight out of the room, leaving a bunch of stunned classmates and a confused teacher in her wake.

She almost sprinted to the restroom, thankful when she got there that it was empty. She needed the respite. She needed to be alone to collect herself and regain some kind of control over her emotions. She didn't know how she was going to face going back to class but she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

Walking to the sink, Taylor let herself glance at the mirror. She looked awful. Her skin was paler than usual and it was damp with sweat. Her eyes were sunken and dark. She tore her gaze away and focussed on the taps, turning on the cold and letting the water trickle calmingly over her hands. She bent and splashed some of the cool liquid on her face.

"You okay?"

Taylor straightened up with shock at the voice behind her. She hadn't heard anyone enter. Then again, her thoughts were roaring around her head so loudly she didn't hear much else these days. She turned to find Gabriella standing hesitantly by the door, arms folded behind her back. She looked unsure of herself, as if she didn't know whether she should be there or not.

Gabriella didn't know why she'd followed Taylor. But something had made her do it. Something had compelled her to get up from her seat and rush out of the room without warning, chasing after her best-friend. Former best-friend? That was the thing. Gabriella didn't know where they stood anymore. Could they be considered friends still when they hadn't spoken in so long? They were both going through tough times, the type of times through which friends would support each other- something that neither of them was doing. But not a day went by that they didn't long for each other to be back how they were. They needed one another. And the sisterly love they had always shared would never go away.

"A-are you okay?" Gabriella asked again, becoming nervous at the lack of response. Maybe Taylor didn't feel the same. Maybe she hated her and didn't want to talk….

Taylor nodded but suddenly felt overwhelmed. She wasn't okay. She knew she wasn't. Nothing was okay. Nothing would _ever _be okay. She started shaking her head, a desperate attempt to force these thoughts from her mind, but it wouldn't stop. And then the tears. Hot and sour, they started rolling down her cheeks without mercy, stinging her eyes and dampening her face.

Gabriella crossed the room and enveloped her friend in a tight but gentle hug. "I'm so sorry." She whispered. "I should have been there for you."

"No." Taylor mumbled into Gabriella's shoulder before pulling out of the embrace. "It's not your fault. It's this." She tugged at her jumper with a face full of distain.

Frowning, Gabriella wondered if Taylor was lying- surely such a small thing couldn't cause her so much anguish. "Just take it off." She suggested.

"No." Taylor said again. She wiped her face on one of her sleeves. "Not that." She explained. "The reason I'm wearing it. This." She grabbed the bottom of the jumper with both hands and raised it high enough to show her stomach underneath. A slight but obvious bump was poking out from under her tight white t-shirt.

"Oh…" Gabriella sighed as she marvelled at the sight.

It was the first time she'd actually seen any proof of Taylor's pregnancy. The whole thing was now becoming a lot more real. There was a baby in there. It sounded stupid, but there was an actual living child growing inside that little bump in Taylor's abdomen. It was extraordinary.

"Have you decided what you're gonna do?" She asked gently, not wanting to pressure Taylor as she was already close to breaking point. She felt they were finally working their way back to a stable friendship, she didn't want to jeopardise that by coming across too pushy.

Taylor shrugged. She'd thought about it a lot. She'd thought about her future and what a baby would do to it. She'd considered adoption and foster care. But there was always one option that stood out from the others. Abortion. She hated herself for even thinking about it. She'd be killing a living thing; _her _living thing. But it was the only chance she had of getting her life back on track. And bringing a child into this world unprepared would be as bad for the baby as it would be for her. It would either grow up not knowing its mother or being hated by her- because Taylor knew she would despise it for destroying all her plans.

Abortion. Just the word made her want to be sick. "I-I-…" She took a deep breath. Her words came out shaky and strangled. "I'm gonna get rid of it." She said finally.

Gabriella nodded, trying to keep her face expressionless. It was not her place to judge. This was Taylor's life. But there was one thing…. "What about Chad?"

Taylor's response was instant. She looked Gabriella right in the eye with such a command in her expression that Gabriella almost felt afraid. "Chad doesn't have to know."

* * *

"Chad, it's about time you knew…"

Peering over the fan of playing cards in his hands, Chad met the eyes of Trevor Campbell who'd entered the room unnoticed, as he usually did, with his unique mysterious stealth. Damon, who'd been beating Chad at 'Go Fish' for the past half hour, visibly tensed at the sudden sight of his superior. Despite the length of time he'd spent in the gang, actually meeting the boss himself was a rare occurrence for Damon, not to mention the man's overwhelming physical stature.

Trevor was in his mid-twenties. He was a tall man, built solidly in both height and muscle. He was always seen in a suit although he seemed better suited in sportswear as he had the air of a boxer. His head was cleanly shaven, as was his face but his menacing appearance was contrasted in his warm hazel eyes. He'd dropped out of school at the end of his freshman year and began a life of petty crime. In the years that followed, his activities became increasingly severe and, by the time he was twenty, with more than three convictions and a number of arrests under his belt, Trevor had found himself with a group of loyal followers. But as with many gangs, they were destined to have rivals, fuelled mainly by disputes over territory. Namely, the mall.

The Glades Shopping Mall had started out as Trevor's meeting place, the place where he was free to discuss with his minions all their upcoming endeavours. Trevor's cousin worked in security, he would let them into the surveillance room, their own private spot to do whatever they liked; count their money, sort their drugs…But soon it was over-run with members of the other gang. Trevor couldn't do anything without it being leaked to the enemy. There were eyes and ears everywhere. He was forced to re-locate.

Now they met in the back room of a corner store, which was where they were now. It was cramped, cold and dark; quite a downgrade from their old location. But that was about to change.

"The mission you've been preparing for," He said in his deep, hushed voice as he neared the table at which the two boys sat. "It's about time you knew what you'll be doing."

Chad and Damon nodded obediently and stayed silent with anticipation while Trevor took a seat opposite them and pulled a box of cigarettes from the inside chest pocket of his jacket. He placed one between his lips then paused.

"Either of you got a light?"

There wasn't a moment's hesitation. Before the question had even been completed, Chad had produced his chrome lighter from the pocket of his jeans and passed it to Trevor. Trevor nodded appreciatively, lit his cigarette and returned the lighter.

"The mall," He exhaled, blowing thick smoke towards his intently listening devotees. "We're taking it back."

A feeling of dread accompanied the silence that followed but Chad simply swallowed the build-up of saliva in his mouth and waited for more information. By the time Trevor had finished giving details of the boys' roles in the mission, Chad felt physically sick. He only allowed himself to breathe again when Trevor had left, leaving him and Damon in an apprehensive stillness in his wake. Not only did it sound reckless, dangerous, but Trevor's plan was illogical. The strategy made no sense and the outcome was bound to be disastrous. But Chad was in no place to question it. And he was in no place to back out now.

Damon sighed, his face mirroring Chad's feeling of uncertainty and anxiety, and he began to shuffle the deck of cards again. "People are gonna get hurt." He stated, more to himself than Chad. He shook his head. His hands fumbled clumsily. The cards flittered to the ground, forming a pool of stiff white squares on his lap and the floor around him. "I don't like this." The sombre honesty in his voice made it clear that he knew there was no escape from the situation.

"Me either." Chad admitted.

Something in the pit of his stomach told him that this wasn't going to go well. Some instinct deep inside him knew that this was a bad idea. But he couldn't have known just how catastrophic it would be….

* * *

Today in the Bolton household, the tension that had been building for almost a year was about to reach its peak. Troy had returned from school to find quite peculiarly that his father was already home. More unusual still was the fact that his mother was with him; not only out of the seclusion of her bedroom, but talking to him. It was something Troy hadn't witnessed in a long time. His mother often ventured out of her bedroom, but only when Jack wasn't around. Even then, her presence was almost unnoticeable. She floated around, collecting laundry and wiping kitchen surfaces, silent and pale like a ghost. If, by some spell of bad luck, Troy's parents were to encounter each other, they both tried equally as hard to ignore each other. Lucy would duck submissively out of the room, head bowed so as not to meet Jack's eyes. The lack of affection there was too much for her to handle.

Everyday, Troy would witness this obscure relationship. They didn't love each other. They were just putting up with each other. And he knew why. For him. They were avoiding divorce for the sake of their child. They were torturing themselves, staying together against their will, for Troy; to maintain a 'normal' family household for him. Normal. Troy's family hadn't been normal for a long time. If anything, he would prefer for them to split up. It wouldn't be ideal, but at least they'd be happy. Happier. But by now, Lucy had convinced herself that she needed Jack, and Jack relied on this image of ideal family life; this façade that ensured his importance and reliability within the community. They were keeping up appearances, despite the fact that on the inside they were far from happy families.

But not today. Today, something had cracked. Confrontation had finally reared its ugly head.

They were in the kitchen, standing opposite each other with not a foot of distance between them. Jack's face was a boiled red, his eyes popping out of their sockets with fury. Lucy had her hands crossed defensively across her chest and a forced look of defiance on her face. Troy could tell she felt threatened by his father's overbearing stature but she was attempting to hide her fear.

"I don't _care _if it was ringing!" Jack roared. "I told you to stay away from my phone!" He balled his fists at his side and looked his wife up and down with a mixture of disgust and hatred.

Lucy shook her head defensively, taking a step back. "You forgot to take it to work with you… I- I thought the call might be important." She tried to mask the whimpering stammer in her voice.

As of yet, neither of his parents had noticed Troy, and he remained a silent spectator, watching the argument unfold from a careful distance. The last thing he needed to do was get involved. It was easier to ignore if he wasn't a part of it. Right now it was just like watching TV, except the characters were right in front of him, they were his parents, and they weren't acting. And there was no way to turn it off. Not even a 'mute' button.

Scowling, Jack snatched the cell-phone in question off the kitchen surface beside him. It looked as though he was ready to walk away but, for some reason- rather than let the argument end on its usual unresolved note- Lucy stopped him with one simple question. Three words that made her husband freeze on the spot.

"Who is Clara?"

His eyes widened, his mouth dropped open and he sucked in a quick gasp of breath. But this reaction was only momentary. If Troy had blinked, he would have missed it. Because, a second later, Jack's composure had returned. "What?" He asked calmly, his voice quiet again. "Who's-… Clara? Clara who?"

Lucy shrugged, looking at the floor. "She's the one that called you. She, um-…" She gulped. "She called you 'baby'. Before she realised it was me on the phone, not you. Then she hung up."

Clara was the name of Mr. Matsui's assistant at school. She was twenty-one. She'd been sleeping with Jack for a couple of months. She wasn't the only one. Troy knew it. Even Lucy knew it. But it was one of those things. An elephant in the room. Something so blaringly obvious that everyone refused to talk about.

"Don't go through my things, Lucille." Jack warned in a deep, growling voice. "Don't touch my phone." And with that, he turned once again to leave, pausing as he caught sight of his son. He jumped and put a hand to his chest. "Jesus! How long have you been there?" He asked. "You should know not to sneak up while your mother and I are talking."

Troy looked to his mother who met his eye and looked away.

"He's right, son." She said sadly. "There's just some things you don't need to hear."

Jack sighed and exited, leaving his wife and child in an uncomfortable silence. Troy wanted to scream. He wanted to run around like a tantruming child, flailing his arms around, crying and destroying things for the sake of it. Anything to let out this anguish. This anger that built up inside him with each waking moment. He wanted to take his mother by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. But he could do none of those things. That would probably only make things worse. So instead, he did what he always did when he felt his world falling apart. He spoke to one of the few people who understood. He locked himself in his room, lay on his bed and called Gabriella.

* * *

Gabriella was about ready to throw her phone at the nearest wall. Since she'd got home from school an hour ago, she'd received almost ten anonymous phone-calls. When she answered, she was met with silence. Every time. It was quickly going from tedious, to annoying to unnerving. It was Asher. It had to be. And she was beginning to wonder what she could do to stop this. There was no reasoning with the boy. She'd tried telling him gently, she'd tried being blunt, heck- she'd even tried threatening to call the police, but nothing would stop him. He was obsessed. What else could she do?

Her cell began to vibrate again on the desk in front of her, quickly followed by the sound of her ringtone- a cheerful tune that now repulsed her each time she heard it. Gabriella's first plan was to just let it ring. But she couldn't bear the sound. So she thought she'd reject the call. But he'd only call back. Maybe she should just turn her phone off… But then he'd be winning. He'd be controlling her life. There was only one thing she could do.

"What." She barked within a millisecond of accepting the call.

As expected she was met with silence. But she almost jumped out of her skin when an unexpected voice came through the receiver.

"Babe," he said. "You okay?"

Gabriella could have laughed with relief at the beautiful voice of her boyfriend. No sound had ever been so pleasing to her ears and never had three words filled her with such a simple joy. Letting out a sigh, her tense shoulders relaxed and she flexed her clenched fists.

"Troy." She breathed, smiling. "Hi. Sorry, I just- I thought-… hi."

Hearing Troy's tired chuckle on the end of the line only widened Gabriella's grin. "Stressed, huh?" He asked calmly.

"How can you tell?" She joked, noticing how all the anger and anxiety she had felt a matter of seconds ago had melted away. "What's up anyway?"

"Just wanted to hear your voice."

She knew that tone. The way he'd said those sweet words. He was hurting. She could hear it. She hated it when he was like this. He always tried to be so strong for her, for his family, sometimes it just got too much. Some days, he just fell apart. It wasn't fair for him. The amount of pressure he put on himself.

"D'you wanna talk about it?" Gabriella offered gently, but Troy declined. Instead they talked about little things; homework and movies, and before long they were both feeling better. Lost in each others voices, all of life's problems momentarily disappeared and it didn't matter what had happened, what was going to happen or even what might be happening even as they spoke, all that mattered was that they had each other. Deep down, they knew that was all that would ever matter.

**

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A/N: **I'm so glad that despite my unreliability, people are still reading. Thank you so much **ChaylorTwilightQueen10, HisDelilah, pumpkinking5, chaylorXtraylorlover, OlympicBeliever **and** xojokubauskasx3**. So tell me how you're feeling. Taylor's decision, Chad's mission, Troy's parent's, Gabriella just being generally supportive… Let me know!

_**xX M Xx**_


	13. The Big Day

**Playing With Fire

* * *

**

**Summary: **One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that none of them could imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk.

**Pairings: **Chaylor, Troyella.

**Warnings: **Little bit of swearing in this chapter, violence, mentions of adult themes

**

* * *

12. The Big Day

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**

It had been a week since Chad had been told of the part he would play in Trevor's operation to reclaim the mall. The day had finally come to put that plan into action.

Trevor and his many minions, including Chad and Damon, had arrived at The Glades early this Saturday morning and, since then, had been in the surveillance room going meticulously over the details in their plan. It was simple. With the aid of the many security cameras, Trevor had visual access to the entire mall. He could therefore see the location of any members from the rival gang. When the time was right, he intended on opening gunfire, injuring- if not killing- each and every enemy he could find. They had the element of surprise on their side, so it all had to be synchronised and sudden. Once the other gang caught wind of the attack, they'd be ready to fight back, so Trevor's aim was to strike them all at the same time and not give them the chance to retaliate. That was why he needed his entire entourage on hand. They were each assigned an area of the mall and, equipped with walky-talky's, when Trevor gave the order they were to take out at least one individual each. Simple.

Only, it wasn't simple. In fact, it made little sense. Supposing they were successful and managed to obliterate the entire gang, then what? They would all be suspects for murder. Not to mention the risk of shooting the wrong person, killing innocent bystanders. And surely the mall would be closed down, at least temporarily, in the aftermath- rendering their efforts to claim it as their own useless.

Everyone was talking over each other, pointing at blueprints and the television screens that projected images of the mall below. People were loading their weapons, stretching their muscles, mentally preparing themselves in a way that Chad was more familiar with when getting ready for an important basketball match. Basketball. He missed those days. Now, he just felt overwhelmed. He kept to himself in the corner of the small, stuffy room, watching it all like nothing more than an onlooker. He didn't belong here. He wasn't one of these men. These _boys_ with their heavy black guns and their excited but nervous grins. He remained in his detached bubble, observing from afar.

When his cell-phone started to ring, Chad silently slipped out of the room for some quiet. "Hello?"

"Hi, Chad." Came the last voice he was expecting to hear. "It's Taylor. I-…" The phone line crackled and Taylor's voice was lost in static.

"Tay? Taylor I can't hear you." Chad said desperately, walking in circles in search of a better signal. He was immensely relieved when her voice swam back into clarity.

"…-bout now?"

Chad nodded, smiling. "Yeah." He sighed. "Yeah, that's good."

He'd forgotten how much he missed her. How much a few words spoken from her could make him forget everything else. He'd forgotten just how beautiful her voice was. And as the memories of this returned, so did all the other good things he associated with his girlfriend. The way they would hold each other until they fell asleep. The times they would laugh for hours over nothing at all. The comfort they could find in each others eyes. He wondered why he had ever let that go.

"Good." She said, but she didn't sound too pleased. "I have to talk to you."

Chad frowned. Her words were still hard to make out amongst a background noise of voices and bustle. "What's all that noise?" He asked. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the mall." Taylor answered impatiently.

Those words made Chad's blood run cold. His breath hitched in his throat. This couldn't be happening. "W-what mall?"

He heard Taylor sigh with irritation on the other end of the phone. "Stop changing the subject." She said. "I have something important to tell you and I-"

"Hey!" A voice called from somewhere behind Chad. He spun around with surprise, already on edge and jumpy. Standing by the door of the surveillance room was Trevor. He looked stressed and severely unimpressed. "What are you doing out here?" He asked bluntly.

Chad hurriedly slipped his phone into his pocket. "N-nothing." He stammered. "I just-…"

Trevor rolled his eyes and reached into the back of his jeans. "Take this." He said, presenting a gun and holding it out for Chad. "It's time."

It weighed more than Chad had imagined. Heavier than the toys he'd enjoyed so much as a child. It was cold in his hand, and lay uncomfortably in his palm as if it didn't belong there. It didn't belong there. These hands were made for basketballs and baseball bats. These hands weren't made for violence and destruction. Chad couldn't imagine pulling the trigger. In fact, he made the conscious decision right then that he wasn't going to shoot anyone today. Trevor would never know. There was no way Chad could take someone's life.

"I said, are you ready?" Trevor snapped impatiently and Chad realised he had zoned out.

Unable to find words due to the anxiety that was currently taking over him, Chad simply nodded stiffly and hoped that it would suffice and Trevor would walk away. But then another thought came to mind. "Will there be… collateral damage?" He asked, the only thing on his mind being Taylor. If she was here, he didn't know what he'd do. There was absolutely no way he was letting her get hurt.

A worryingly bitter smile twisted Trevor's face in a most unnatural way. "That's the point." He answered flatly. "The more people that die, the bigger our message is."

Chad wanted to be sick. He told himself it couldn't get any worse. But it did.

Within minutes, Chad and Damon had been sent to the shop floor and were amongst the thriving, buzzing flurry of oblivious shoppers. This was their assigned area; by the food court. When the order was given, they would open fire on the two men who were currently having a lunch of pretzels a few yards from them. There were families here. Children. An elderly couple. Groups of young friends. Just relaxing. Having a nice day out together. They had no idea that this nice day out may well be there last.

There was no way for Chad to block it out anymore. When it was just a plan, just words on paper and suggestions during phonecalls, he found it easy to put up a barrier against the reality of it and just pretend it didn't exist. But now, now it was real. It was right in front of him. It was the walky-talky in his right hand. The gun tucked into the back of his jeans- the handle of it sticking to the sweat on his back. What pained him the most was his total lack of control. Even if he did nothing, people were going to die today, and he'd have been involved. He would have contributed to the murder of people he didn't even know, some of them innocent.

Damon glanced at one of the few people he could call a true friend. He couldn't mask the guilt in his eyes. He'd done this to Chad, the kid with so much promise. And he'd known from the very beginning that this was how it would turn out. He realised now, he'd been jealous. When he saw his old friend in the diner that night, relaxing with his friends, living the life of possibilities and potential, Damon had seen in him something he longed to have for himself. He wanted that future. He wondered why Chad had it all, and he had nothing, despite their similar upbringings. So, albeit subconsciously, he began to sabotage the life of the boy he wished he was. Now it all became clear to him. But now, of course, it was far too late.

"Sorry." He said. The word was weighing down so heavily on his mind that it eventually just spilled out of its own accord. Though its release offered no redemption.

Chad looked at Damon and forced a tight, reassuring smile- he'd made the decision to accept Damon's initial offer, he'd done this to himself- but rather than smile back, Damon narrowed his eyes and squinted his focus on something behind Chad. His look of concentration quickly turned to shock and Chad found himself compelled to turn around to find out what Damon was looking at.

He saw nothing at first. Not until Damon's quiet voice said from behind him;

"Chad… bro, isn't that your girl?"

Sure enough, there she was. Taylor was sitting alone at a table, head low as she peered angrily at her cell phone.

But before Chad could absorb the image in front of him, the talky in his hand began to crackle. "Boys," Trevor's sinister voice rang out. "Get ready to start shooting…"

* * *

"I'm heading out to the mall, honey. Wanna come?"

Gabriella glanced up from the screen of her laptop to her mother who stood at her bedroom door. "No thanks, mom." She said with a smile, currently too preoccupied to think about shopping.

Her mum looked disappointed but her warm smile remained. "You sure? We can look at prom dresses…"

Prom was still months away but although it was approaching fast, dresses and dates and dancing were the last things on Gabriella's mind. She was thinking about Stanford University. The thought of moving so far away had been daunting at first but now it seemed the perfect escape. She needed to leave Albuquerque. She needed to be as far from Asher as she could be. Then she could finally forget that he ever existed and carry on with her life like a normal teenager, rather than coping with the daily paranoia and the feeling that she was always being watched. However, the downside was that the farther she was from him, the farther she would be from Troy. The thought of not having the freedom to see him every day was unbearable.

Gabriella hadn't realised she was daydreaming until she distantly heard her front door slamming shut. She imagined regretfully that her mother had noticed her lack of interest and departed without another word. Heaving a sigh, Gabriella decided to take a break from her assignment- her concentration had gone way out of the window- so she rose from her desk chair and switched on the stereo. Already in the machine was a mixtape that Troy had made her on their one year anniversary, a collection of songs that described his feelings for her. It always put her at ease.

But still, despite the music, there was an odd feeling looming over her. An overbearing sense that she was not alone. Frowning curiously, she turned down the volume of the CD and listened intently to the sounds of the house. There was nothing out of the ordinary but her unease remained to the point where she felt the need to exit her bedroom and check, just to be sure, that she was alone. The hallway was silent an empty, just as it should have been.

"Mom?" She called out. "Mom, are you still here?"

There was no answer and Gabriella felt dumb for letting her anxiety get the better of her. Smiling to herself and shaking her head, she finally accepted that she was working herself up and that she was in fact home alone. Considerably more relaxed, Gabriella returned to her bedroom, a faint smile still on her face.

Strangely, the first thing she noticed was not the open window or the boy who now stood in the middle of the room, it was the fact that her music had been switched off. The eerie silence hit her first. Then she spotted him. So obvious. Just standing there. Totally still. Watching her.

She screamed- couldn't help herself- and the noise seemed to trigger something in him. He bolted towards her and she was frozen; powerless to stop him. His hand covered her mouth and nose. It tasted like salt and suddenly she was struggling to breathe. Her heart was racing, her eyes darting from side to side. And all the time he was trying to soothe her, shushing and whispering comforting words.

"It's okay." He said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Gabriella writhed in his arms as he tightened his hold around her waist. Eventually she managed to wriggle free and shoved him as hard as she could. He staggered backwards, shooting her a look of hurt shock, much like the look he'd given her after they'd kissed all those months ago. Only this time there was an inextinguishable fire in his eyes and, before Gabriella could react further, his hands were grasping at her once again.

"No!" She yelped as Asher, in one swift motion, slammed her bedroom door shut and seized her petite body in both hands.

"Don't fight it." He said softly yet with demand in his voice. He lifter her clean off the floor so her legs thrashed wildly and his biting fingers shot pain through her flesh. "I wont hurt you." He said. "I love you."

But when he threw her too the floor, there seemed to be little compassion in his eyes. Just ferocious hunger. The angle at which she fell caused Gabriella to collide head-first with her bed-side table before rolling clumsily onto the rug. Agony soared through her head, swarming her brain with white noise and nausea. Clutching groggily at the fur of the rug beneath her, she attempted to steady her swimming vision and sit up but she could make no move to do so. Asher was on top of her at once, straddling her with his muscled thighs on her hips. He had a look of concentrated admiration on his face, no evil smile or sly twinkle in his eye. Pure determination furrowed his brow and he appeared to believe that what he was doing was- not only right- but essential.

Gabriella's head was still spinning. It had all happened so quickly, it barely felt real. She could distantly feel the light prickle of blood as it trailed from the side of her head down towards her ear until it finally reached the carpet below. At the forefront of her mind was the daunting awareness of what was about to happen. And her inability to stop it.

Asher had her pinned and his hands had her hands held immovably to the floor, so despite her constant wriggling and struggling, they remained solidly glued to each other. Gabriella threw her head back and made to scream but Asher was too fast for her. His hand clamped over her mouth and he bent down to gently brush his lips over the skin of her neck. Disgusted, Gabriella tore her head to the left and let out a gasping plea;

"Stop!" She begged. "Please, Asher! No!"

Her words went unnoticed. Asher nuzzled his nose into her jaw, nibbled playfully on her earlobe, smiling slightly to himself; not with evil- but contentment. His hot breath washed over her cheek. He smelt strangely sweet. Sickeningly so. Gabriella found herself retching as the tears she had fought back finally began to spill carelessly out of the corners of her eyes.

"You want me." Asher whispered as he leaned back, not looking at her directly in the eye. His gaze drifted excitedly over her lips. He shushed her as she tried to speak. "You don't need to deny it anymore."

With that, he pressed his lips to hers in the most ungraceful way. One of his hands drifted from where it restrained her wrist to the floor. For a moment, it was gone, then all at once it re-materialised on Gabriella's shoulder. His fingertips grazed her skin so lightly it almost tickled as his hand made a gradual, careful journey towards her bra.

It was then that Gabriella realised she needed to act fast. Ignoring the sickening sensation of his touch, she used her now free hand to reach blindly for the bed-side table that had worsened her earlier fall. Asher was so entranced by his current activities, he didn't notice as Gabriella located her cell phone and began to dial wildly, any number she could get her finger on.

* * *

Troy was coming in from the backyard- panting and sweaty from an hour practising basketball- when the cell-phone in the pocket of his baggy shorts began to ring. It was the unique ringtone he'd assigned to Gabriella; a cheery little tune that, when he heard it, always compelled him to answer and hear her melodious voice. He retrieved the phone from his pocket while making his leisurely way to the kitchen in the hopes of quenching his dehydrated thirst with some cold water. But before he could answer, his attention was captured by something else. Not thinking, he pressed the 'reject call' button and stood at the open door of the kitchen to watch the drama unfold.

"You just couldn't drop it could you…" Jack snarled bitterly at his wife. They were standing almost identically to how they had been the week before when Troy had found them having a similar argument. They were by the fridge standing face to face; Jack furious, Lucy dismayed.

"Jack…." She whimpered anxiously.

But he had no sympathy for her. He pointed a finger in her face and continued to rant remorselessly; "One thing-" He said. "The _one thing-_ I told you a thousand times!"

It had to be about the cell-phone again, Troy surmised. He was right. Out of curiosity sparked by last weeks argument, Lucy had delved into her husband's bag and retrieved his phone hoping to discover who this mysterious 'Clara' was and why she was calling her husband. Of course, deep down she was aware of the affair and the possibility of others, but she needed confirmation. Something solid, so she could deny it no more. Only, she had barely started her sleuthing when Jack discovered her. Then began his tirade about his privacy and her unnecessary nosiness. It all seemed so ridiculous. They were married, they shouldn't have secrets.

"I'm your wife!" Lucy reminded him raising her hands in surrender. The volume of her voice was louder but shrill with emotion.

Jack simply scoffed and said no more, casting her a look of absolute revulsion.

Realising his mother was about to cry, Troy felt that now would be a good time to interject. "Dad…" He said, catching their attention. "Mom?"

They looked at him as if breaking from a trance. His appearance even mustered an incredibly forced smile from Lucy.

"Go upstairs, Troy." Jack demanded firmly but Troy had no intention of leaving. He wasn't going to let his parents continue to argue. He didn't believe his fragile mother could take any more heartbreak.

But Jack wasn't finished, and he didn't want Troy's judgemental eyes on him. He trudged threateningly towards his teenage son, grabbed his arm and gave him a light push in the general direction of the stairs. "Do as I say!" He yelled. But he noticed Troy was looking past him, over his shoulder, at his mum. "Don't look at her, look at me." He snapped. But Troy did no such thing. "Look at me!" He took Troy's chin in his hand and yanked his neck forcefully so that Troy was at last looking at him. "Now go to your room."

Troy pulled free of his father's grip and shook his head. "No." He said, his voice quivering a little. "Just stop fighting. Please." He begged. His mother began to approach the two silently.

"You do what I tell you to do, boy!" Jack shouted with fury. Troy could tell the anger was gradually building. He knew Jack would soon erupt. But he continued to defy him nonetheless. At least the anger was directed at him now, not his mother.

Taking a deep breath, puffing his chest out, Troy stared directly into the enraged eyes of his dad. "No."

A vein appeared on Jack's red, sweaty forehead. His voice reached a volume that made Troy's ears ring. "Don't you _dare _disobey me!" He roared. And Troy became suddenly- but far too late- aware of his father's raised hand. His hard fist hurtled towards his face, catching him right under his eye. The force was enough to throw Troy's head painfully backwards and propel him on a 180° spin where he doubled over and stumbled before falling to his hands and knees.

He heard his mum gasp and his dad crack his knuckles. But his focus was awash and he could only see out of one eye. The tiles of the clean off-white kitchen floor below him distorted for a moment. Inhaling, Troy blinked repeatedly and shook his head until his ears had stopped ringing. Behind him he heard his dad utter the disdainful words;

"Just like your fucking mother..."

But to his son's surprise, Jack did not storm off like he usually did when he lost his temper. No, he remained pacing the room, fists clenched, scowl on his face. Clambering to his feet, Troy could tell that this particular dispute was far from over.

**

* * *

A/N: **Well wasn't that action-packed! You know how I love my suspense and it just so happens that I'm off on holiday as of 3AM tomorrow so it may be a little while until you find out what happens next… Will Chad be able to protect Taylor? Will Taylor tell Chad about the baby? Will Gabriella escape from crazy Asher's clutches? Will the war within Troy's family have a violent end? Tune in to find out…..

_**xX M Xx**_


	14. Beyond Repair

**Playing With Fire

* * *

**

**Summary: **One night drastically alters the course of senior year. Now, graduation is the last thing on their minds as the gang are faced with problems that none of them could imagine, putting their relationships, their futures and even their lives at risk.

**Pairings: **Chaylor, Troyella.

**Warnings: **Possible mild language, violence, mentions of adult themes

**

* * *

13. Beyond Repair

* * *

**

"What have you done?" Lucille Bolton cried out, frozen to the spot as she watched her son gradually get to his feet.

She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Her husband, the man she'd married, the man she'd loved, had just attacked their only child. Sure, she'd seen him angry. She'd even been prepared once or twice for him to physically hurt her. Though that had never happened. And she had never imagined he'd go so far as to hit Troy. Their family was beyond repair. It had disintegrated into dysfunction and violence. The realisation of this, and the years she'd wasted in a futile attempt to avoid it, plunged down on Lucy with unforgiving reality. Her entire body quaked with devastation and she was instantly brought to tears. It took all her strength to not collapse right there into a wailing heap on the floor. Instead she buried her face in her hands and stood where she was sobbing loudly.

Jack ceased his pacing for a moment to glance at her disdainfully. "Shut up." He hissed, trying to gather his thoughts. His anger had overwhelmed him. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he needed to come to terms with what had happened. What he'd done. He just needed to think.

"I'm okay, mom." Troy said softly. He crossed the room to her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Of course, Troy was far from okay. He couldn't, in fact, think of a time when he'd ever been so not-okay. He was as shocked as his mother by what had just happened, though it seemed it all hadn't quite sunk in yet. It didn't seem real. Even his still stinging cheek- a constant reminder that it _had _just happened and it _was _real- didn't convince him that this wasn't all just some strange, realistic dream.

Lucy raised her view out of her wet palms to peer at the face of her son. His cheek was red; swelling a little so that one of his eyes was slightly squinting. His expression was one of faux-strength and hardness. He looked like a child, trying to be an adult. This only made her cry more.

The noise was becoming unbearable for Jack. His wife bawling like a baby and his son's non-stop attempts to comfort her. He just needed to think in silence. If they would just shut up, maybe he'd be able to settle this whirlwind of thoughts that currently raged destructively through his brain. "Shut up!" He yelped, even momentarily placing his hands over his ears. But the noise didn't stop. It persisted, only louder. He had to stop it. Any way possible.

He stopped pacing and turned on the spot to face his preoccupied family. His hands tightened into fists once again. Before he even knew what he was doing, Jack charged forwards, ready to send another powerful punch, this time at his unsuspecting wife.

But Troy must have seen him approaching from the corner of his eye. And before he knew it, he himself was readying for a fight. His fists were much smaller than his dads and he had far less strength behind the punch, but it was enough. He caught his father on the jaw. He felt his knuckles crack on impact. Jack grunted and staggered backwards. In his stunned silence, a dose of realisation finally subdued him and Jack became regretfully aware of all that he had done.

"I'm sorry." He whispered shakily, looking from his wife to his son. Lucy was turned away but Troy continued to stare at him defiantly, almost challenging him to try and hurt them. All at once, Jack was aware of what he'd done to his once perfect family. "God, I'm so, so sorry." He said with plea. He didn't bother to wipe the tears from his cheeks. Instead, he looked at his wife, desperate for her to look at him back. The way that they used to look at each other. Back in the day when that look was enough. Enough to say the three words 'I love you' without even opening their mouths. Why had he done this to her? Why had he broken them apart? "Luce…"

She did turn then. But on her face was neither affection nor forgiveness. Loathing. Intense, pure loathing. "Get out." She snarled through gritted teeth, clinging to herself defensively. "_Get_ _out!_"

Jack knew there was nothing he could do to excuse himself for his unforgivable actions. Shamed and hurt, he did as he was told and retreated out of the room.

When Troy heard the front door shut, he finally allowed himself to relax from his defensive position. He took a few calming breaths and attempted to make sense of the situation. Turning to his mother, he searched her face to see how she was feeling. Her expression was blank and she stared with blind eyes at the door through which Jack had left.

"Mom." Troy spoke softly, gently taking one of her hands in his. But his touch seemed to repulse her. Without even looking at him, Lucy turned on her heel and fled upstairs. Troy would have followed her if he hadn't heard his cell-phone beep.

At that moment, he became instantly curious. He recalled rejecting a phone-call from Gabriella and now wondered what it could have been about. He pulled his phone from the pocket of his shorts and checked the screen. It declared in bold letters that he had a missed call from his girlfriend and that she had left a voicemail message. Now the curiosity in him grew. Gabriella rarely left voicemails. She'd usually just wait for Troy to call her back. This must have been something important.

Feeling anxious for some reason, Troy brought his phone to his ear to listen to the message his girlfriend had left. Her screams rang through the receiver, piercing through his eardrums. She was pleading, begging, crying. Troy's heart wrenched in his chest. His hands began to tremble. He didn't listen to anymore. Not wasting another second, he sprinted out of his house and hoped to god that his truck wouldn't break down before he got to Gabriella's.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Chad said harshly, surprising Taylor enough to make her jump. As soon as he'd seen her, Chad hadn't wasted a second in approaching the table she sat at, nor did he waste time with pleasantries before demanding the reason for her presence at the mall.

Taylor looked up at her ex-boyfriend. "Chad?" Despite her shock at seeing him she remained in her chair hoping that if she didn't stand he would take the hint and join her at the table. "How did you-…?" She was happy to see him, it had been so long. But now that he was here- and so suddenly and unexpectedly- the task at hand seemed all the more real. This time she wasn't going to let him get away without telling him. No matter what happened. But fear was bubbling inside of her and Chad's lack of enthusiasm wasn't helping to quash it.

"Why are you here?" He snapped. There was no question in his voice. He seemed angry, as though Taylor had done something wrong.

He was furious. But not with her. With himself. How did he let things go this far? How did he actually consider killing innocent people? There was a gun in his jeans. An actual gun. And he would have used it. He could have killed Taylor. It would have been so easy for him to have not seen her there and pulled the trigger without aiming. He could have murdered the love of his life. What was he thinking? Then something else occurred to him. Trevor wasn't going to wait forever. Within a few minutes, shots were going to be fired whether Chad wanted it to happen or not. Taylor couldn't be there for that. Chad couldn't let her stay here while her life was in danger. And he couldn't let her see what he had become.

Oblivious to Chad's inner turmoil, Taylor began to stammer nervously; "I- uh, I was just-…" She sighed. This wasn't easy. All she wanted was for Chad to sit down with her so she could relax and tell him calmly and clearly. "We need to talk." She said.

But Chad just shook his head. "You have to go." He took her by the upper-arm and pulled her quite firmly out of her seat. With his other hand he grabbed her bag and shoved it into her hands. "Right now."

"What?" Taylor said, pulling free of his slightly painful grip. It upset her that Chad was being so blunt. It was quite clear that he no longer had feelings for her. He hadn't once looked at her directly. Maybe he was here with another girl, Taylor speculated, and he didn't want to be seen with her. It was an awful thought but Taylor could not suppress it. However, she was going to tell him about her situation whether he wanted to hear it or not. She wouldn't leave without the weight of her secret off her shoulders. "No," She spoke directly and frankly. "I have something to tell-"

"You have to_ leave,_ Taylor!" Chad was beginning to panic. He'd do all he could to get her to safety. But she was so stubborn. And he was running out of time.

"But Chad, I-"

"Now!" He snapped.

It was only then that Taylor recognised the desperation in Chad's eyes as he grabbed her by the arm once again. But the same panic that he was displaying externally was mirrored in how Taylor was feeling internally. "I'm pregnant!" She yelped without realising it. Not even a second later, she was overcome with regret.

Chad's face turned to stone and all the frantic energy in him dissipated at once. Taylor was sure she saw his skin go a shade lighter. His mouth opened and closed, his jaw jerking with silent words while his eyes searched her face for an explanation.

What? At first he thought he must have heard incorrectly. But Taylor's serious face confirmed what she'd said. Then his heart started to pump at double its normal speed. He couldn't think. He literally could not form any single comprehensible thought in his mind. But then the word began to sink into him. Pregnant. There was a baby inside her. _His _baby. And suddenly he had to think about the future. What was going to happen to him? To them? What was Taylor going to do? And in the midst of all this uncontrollable thought, he couldn't even begin to comprehend how he was feeling about it. He didn't even attempt to assess his emotions. Right now, he was only feeling shock and a bit of confusion and fear.

"Everyone at their stations." Trevor's voice crackled through the walkie-talkie that was tucked into Chad's pocket. Although his words were spoken quietly, Chad heard them with perfect diction. He knew exactly what it meant too. This was about to begin. He had run out of time. Damon was already at his side and both he and Taylor were talking at Chad in words he couldn't hear. He felt as though he was submerged in a watery detachment from reality. Everything was coming at him at super-speed and he was dodging it by closing himself off from the world. But he couldn't keep it out.

Chad didn't attempt to be gentle as he practically lifted Taylor and began to herd her forcefully towards the huge glass doors at the mall entrance. She gasped and moaned and protested but he didn't stop. Her feet were skidding against the floor as she tried to ground herself but Chad continued to almost drag her away from the unknown danger. Damon followed close behind Chad, speaking anxiously.

"What're you doing?" He hissed, hurrying after his friend. "Don't attract attention to us. You trying to get us killed?"

But his worries went unheard. Chad was considering his next move. He'd almost reached the door, but this wasn't just about Taylor anymore. It was about everyone. It was about him. Struck with a sudden crisis of conscience, Chad knew exactly what he had to do, and thankfully he was alerted to a means of doing it not a moment too soon. A blaring red button was on the wall to the left of the sliding doors. It was only a couple of yards from him. So, with one final shove in Taylor's back, Chad dove at the button and pushed it as if his life depended on it.

A shrill alarm rang out at once. A cold shower of water sprouted from the ceiling and rained on the people below. A few shoppers screamed, but most just stopped what they were doing and rushed in a frightened crowd towards the nearest exit. Taylor disappeared instantly amongst the people and all Chad could see was a blur of faces and shapes.

And then, the last sound that Chad wanted to hear. Gunshots. One at first, then a moment's pause followed by a never-ending spray of loud pops. Everyone was screaming now and Chad struggled to stay still while people shoved past him to get to the doors. All hell had broken loose. After the shock of the fire-alarm, Trevor and his followers were momentarily caught off guard. Even amongst the panic, a member of the rival gang had spotted one of them and shot at him, beginning a full-on gun battle.

He may have caused it, but Chad sure as hell wasn't going to stay to watch it unfold. He peered over the sea of bustling heads until he located Damon who was standing about a foot away. He reached out and grabbed his friend by the arm and pulled him out into the fresh air and freedom of the parking-lot. From there, they ran. No words had to be spoken between them. They sprinted in silence for as long as they could. Until their lungs burnt and their chests ached and their hearts seized like fists. But they both knew that, no matter how far they ran, there would be no escape from the trouble they had caused. The consequences of which, they'd soon learn…

* * *

Troy made it to Gabriella's faster than he ever had before. In his head were a thousand scenarios, all of them chilling him to his very core. He couldn't help but feel that he'd arrived too late. He should never have ignored her call. She'd needed him and he'd rejected her, leaving her desperate, helpless and alone. Anything could have happened. She could be dead.

As he climbed the stairs, calling out her name, taking two steps at a time, a disturbing image entered his mind of what he might find when he reached her. She'd be face-down on the floor, her hair knotted and arms and legs all askew. She wouldn't be moving. Or breathing. Troy threw up a little in his mouth.

He made it to her bedroom door. It didn't budge as he turned the handle. He pushed and pulled frantically. The door rattled on its hinges but refused to open. An awful shriek came from inside the room. Troy called Gabriella's name again, pounding on the wood with the palms of both hands. Her muffled sobs came in reply followed by a pained wail and pleading cries. Tears streaming down his face, Troy backed away from the door, only to run at it shoulder-first a second later. The wood cracked and the lock broke. At long last, the door flew open.

It took Troy a matter of seconds to assess the scene in front of him. Frozen like some twisted snap-shot, Gabriella lay on her back on the rug in the centre of the room. Asher lay on top of her, one hand pinning both of her hands above her head, the other hand tucked somewhere between their bodies. Black trails of mascara ran down Gabriella's cheeks while Asher's topless back glinted with sweat. His t-shirt, and hers, were discarded clumsily on either side of them. They both stared at Troy like deer caught in headlights.

Anxiety turned to uncontrollable rage and Troy found himself charging like a bull at the boy on top of his girlfriend. Diving square into Asher was enough to knock him off Gabriella and onto the floor. Troy didn't waste a second. He knelt over Asher and punched him right in the face. Blood spewed out of Asher's nose and Troy continued. He couldn't stop. He'd never felt such hatred. Such a compulsion to hurt someone. With both hands he hit Asher over and over and over, ignoring the pain that seared from his knuckles to his elbow right up to his shoulder. Asher's head was flung from left to right with each blow. His face was crimson, smeared with his own blood. His eyes were shut tightly, his mouth open, teeth and tongue dark and stained.

"Stop!"

Troy slowly retracted his fist. He stretched out his aching fingers and turned to face his protesting girlfriend. Gabriella was sitting where he'd left her, clutching her t-shirt to her bare chest. On her face was a mixture of gratitude and fear as Troy's display of violence sparked a jumble of emotions within her. Just seeing her made all the anger in Troy disappear. He forgot about Asher, crawled to Gabriella and took her in his arms. She buried her face in his neck and began to cry while he rubbed her back comfortingly. He couldn't hold her tight enough. Couldn't protect her from what had already happened.

"Did he…?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the question. He didn't even know if he wanted the answer. He didn't need another reason to want to kill Asher.

Thankfully, Gabriella shook her head. nuzzling her face deeper into Troy's shoulder. But she only cried harder. She couldn't believe what had happened. She couldn't stop thinking about what would have surely happened if Troy hadn't shown up. She felt violated and unsafe. But Troy held her tighter and surrounded her with warmth. He whispered in her ear that everything would be okay. That he was there now and she had nothing else to fear. He didn't even move when Asher got to his feet and fled from the room. He'd deal with him later. For now, Gabriella needed his support.

She sniffed and grasped at Troy weakly, craning her neck to gaze at him with weary eyes. "Troy…" She whispered. Troy looked down at her, noticing for the first time the spots of dry blood on her forehead. "…I feel…" Her eyelids fluttered before her body went limp in Troy's arms.

**

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A/N: **Well I'm home and it was lovely to be greeted by plenty of reviews! Loving everyone's enthusiasm. I hope this update didn't disappoint, let me know if it did or if you just enjoyed it! Thanks reviewers; **kayp22x****, ****HeartsWereNeverMeantToRace****, **hunny**, ****xojokubauskasx3****, ****OlympicBeliever.****, ****chaylorfan4eve1995****, ****HisDelilah****, ****chaylorXtraylorlover** and **pumpkinking5 **you totally rock my socks :D

_**xX M Xx**_


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